STOPFORDIAN

DECEMBER, 1948. ONE SHILLING

The Magazine of the Stockport Grammar School

Vol X. No. 16.EDITORIAL.

DECEMBER, 1948

The several innovations about the School spoken of in our last issue are noweither completed or well under way. The mock Indian battlefield is now alevel stretch awaiting the final transformation into a lacrosse pitch. The newdining hall is rapidly assuming a more positive outline, and week by weekwe may discern its final appearance more clearly. After being stocked withthe last thing in electric cooking apparatus, it will probably be brought intouse next term. The new ornamental School gates, delayed through the illnessof the craftsman, are now set up and look admirable; so that progressis registered on every hand.In School the term has not been uneventful. The School Play has risen toheights never imagined before, and set itself precedence it can scarcely hopeto surpass. The flourishing state of the School's social life and its activitieson the playing fields have far exceeded our expectations, new societies arespringing up on all sides, and the father of them all, the Debating and LiterarySociety, has reached its five-hundredth meeting, having continued in a tradi-tional style for more than forty years. It has, indeed, become an integralpart of die School, and we trust it will long remain so.May we take this opportunity of wishing a Very Happy Christmas and aMost Prosperous New Year to all our readers.

J.C.M.» » a

DE OMNIBUS REBUS.School Officers for the Term have been :—Head Prefect : R. N. Hankinson.Prefects : T. A. Lockett, G. P. Birtles, P. L. Clarke, D. J. Blomley,D. A. Cockerill, B. P. Dencer, G. A. Forth, N. J. Holt, K. Roscoe,R. H. Shepherd, W. B. Skidmore.Captain of Football: P. L. Clarke. Vice-Captain : T. A. Lockett.Captain of Lacrosse : A. L. Macfic. Vice-Captain : N. J. Holt.Captain of Fives : R. H. Shepherd.Captain of Swimming : A. J. Nuttall.Secretaries : Football, K. Roscoe; Cricket, D. W. Price; Lacrosse, C, H,Walton; Fives, J. C. Cannon.Captain of Chess : R. C. Phillips.House Captains : North, K. Roscoe ; South, G. P, Birtles ; East, P. L. Clarke;West, T. A, Lockett.Secretary of Debating and Literary Society : J. C. Milner.Secretary of Dramatic Satiety : P. W. J, Clay.Secretary of Music Society : B. G. L. Jevons.

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Secretary of Arts and Crafts Society : J. C. Cannon.Secretary of History Society : G. Lees.Secretary of Railway Club : F. R. Huxley.Secretary of Stamp Club : D. J. Blomley.Secretary of Chess Club : R. C. Phillips.Secretary of Photographic Society : D. J. Blomley.Assistant Librarians (Reference) : J. F. C. Paine, E. M. Holroyd.Sub-Librarians : G. Campbell.Flight-Sergeant of A.T.C. : R. N. Hankinson.Editor of Magazine : J. C. Milner.We welcome to the staff for a while R. Hall, Esq., who is taking PhysicalTraining and some English with the younger forms, and regret to have to statethat Mr. Hall's appointment is only temporary, as he is waiting to enter aTraining College for Teachers. This is Mr. Hall's first experience, but hehas already endeared himself to his pupils by his quiet manner and efficientways. Mr. Hall expects to leave us next February, to our sincere regret.Mr. J. Barnes also attended the School for a few weeks at the beginning ofthis term, taking English and Physical Training. He was popular not onlyfor his teaching but because he was a very fine swimmer. This branch ofSchool athletics suffered a severe loss on his departure. He also left for aTeachers' Training College.The School is glad to have been of service this term to three student-teachersfrom the University of Manchester, who have attended to gain experience inteaching as a preparation for the Diploma in Education of that University.They are Messrs. N. S. MacTaggart, B.A., specialising in English,J. F. Dinsdale, B.A., specialising in French, and J. J. F. Watkins, Mus.B.,specialising in Music. We wish them all success in their DiplomaExamination.Last Christmas the School gathered the enormous number of 437 toys andbooks for distribution amongst local hospitals and children's homes. It wasthe best response so far, but perhaps we can beat it this year. Though thehospitals have been nationalised, the children in them still love toys as muchas ever. Please send to Mr. Bromley any spare toys you may have, eitherin good condition or capable of repair. Mr. Bromley and his assistants canwork wonders in their repair shop, making old things brand new. It keepsthem happy and the children who receive the presents happier still.The School is indebted to J. W. Rippon (4A) for his kindly gift of severalexcellent books for the Reference Library.Geoffrey Sherring, Stopfordian, was a prisoner of war of the Japanese atNagasaki when the second atomic bomb fell on the city and destroyed it.Fortunately he survived unharmed, although not more than eight hundredyards from the centre of the explosion. On August 11, at 10 p.m., he gave aninteresting broadcast on the catastrophic destruction and also on his three-year experiences as a prisoner. The producer referred to the account as" certainly the most powerful that has come my way in the last eighteenmonths."Remembrance Day is now nationally fixed as the Sunday preceding November11, but as School is not in session on that day, we continue to use the originaldate. First the School assembled in the quadrangle, and assembled silentlyin the Hallam Hall, where, after prayers, the 15th chapter of St. John was readby Mr. H. D. Smith. Hankinson and Lockett laid the poppy wreath. Afterthe two minutes' silence the School reverently sang " O Valiant Hearts."The proceedings were marked for their devotional atmosphere. The A.T.C.attended in uniform.Sir Maurice Powicke, Stopfordian, has recently been paid a splendid tribute by

•his former pupils and colleagues to mark the occasion of his retirement fromthe high office of Regius Professor of Modern History at Oxford University."It is probable," writes Prof. A. L. Rowse, " that Powicke is the finestmediaeval scholar in the English-speaking world." The school of mediae-valists at Oxford have therefore compiled a series of about thirty studiesdealing with their special period and published them in the best style of theOxford University Press under the title, "Studies in Mediaeval History

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presented to F. M. Powicke,*' and a magnificently bound copy of this bookwas recently presented to Sir Maurice at a ceremonial occasion at Oriel College.Practically every university in Britian was represented at the ceremony, andthe Old Stopfordians' Association, represented by Captain W. Gibbons,was given a place of special honour. There were, of course, speeches inplenty, during which tribute was generously paid to the part played byStockport Grammar School in training this great historian.On Thursday, September 30, 1948, at morning prayers, Captain Gibbonspresented a copy of this book of mediaeval studies to the School, on behalf ofthe Old Stopfordians' Association. It will serve as a memento of an interestingoccasion and of the School's proud connection with the greatest mediaevalscholar of his day. Its title page is suitably inscribed.Sir Maurice, by the way, is about to take a well-earned holiday of a kind thatmost people only dream of. He is going to the United States and " doesnot know when he will be coming back."From a 3B essay : Strangely enough, this party was even more silent than thefirst, for a very sound reason.Confusion in the Juniors: Mistress : " What do you call the sea-animalwith eight legs ? "

Small Boy : "An Octopus—er—Octopus Rex.Odious Comparison: A lady remarked to one of the School staff: " I wasthrilled by your production of ' Oedipus.' I liked it much better than ' AnnieGet Your Gun.'"The birth of a prince to T.R.H. Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburghon Sunday evening, November 14, induced us to sing the National Anthembefore prayers at the School Assembly the next morning. A whole day'sholiday was given to all Stockport schools under the Local Authority onMonday, November 29, and the Grammar School fell in with that arrangement.On Thursday, November 25, a party of about 40 members of V Science andVI Maths, accompanied by Mr. Boak, attended a lecture in the HouldsworthHall, Manchester, organised by the Manchester Federation of ScientificSocieties. The lecturer was Dr. J. N. Aldington, one of the British LampIndustry's leading lighting research scientists. The lecture, aptly entitled" Darkness into Light," was remarkable for its striking demonstrations ofmodern lighting science.

A * 4

SALVETE ATQUE VALETE.SALVETE.

D. C. F. Alison, T. F. Bowden, D. M. Bowker, G. W. Bradley, T. E. Burke,D. A. G. Coleman, E. B. Cooke, M. A. Cragg, J. A. Crellin, P. R. Edwards,D. E. Evans, T. Gare, A. A. Garner, D. J. Green, A. R. Hallworth,B. D. Hancock, S. J. Hardie, D. C. Hawley, A. Mel. Hoe, D. W. Huggett,D. T. Humphage, J. Lansbury, K. D. Lee, D. G. Morgan, J. M. Newcombe,C. J. Shaw, K. Siddle, R. J. Taylor, M. W. Towers, M. T. Whalley,P. D. Bromley, D. M. Beswick, D. K. Brown, K. Clarke, J. P. Duckett,I. M. Gray, B. L. Halliday, J. A. Rollings, G. G. Paxton, D. N. Travis,S. G. Watson, E. P. Brown, M. Holt, H. Masterson, D. W. Rothwell,P. L. Thompson, D. K. Wall, A. G. Adams, E. K. Baylis, A. Green, M. Mason,F. Summerfield, D. N. Dixon, R. Siddons, W. D. Thomas, B. Thomas,R. Ward, C. Ashworth, I. C. Gilbertson, J. F. Johnson, D. Morter, B. Thornley,D. P. Milner.

VALETE.VI Literary, 4th Year : C. H. Willcock (1937-48); South House; Prefect1947-8 ; Municipal Minor Scholarship 1939 ; S.C. 1944; Senior FoundationScholarship 1944; H.S.C. 1947-8; Captain House 2nd XI Football andCricket; Relay Teams; Choir 1938-46; Ochestra 1940-3; Dramatic,Music, Deb. and Lit., History (founder member) Societies; Sub-Librarian1943-8. (Left October.)VI Literary, 3rd Year : P. A. Holliday (1940-48) ; South House; MunicipalMinor Scholarship 1941; S.C. 1945; H.S.C. 1947-8; Dramatic Society;Music Society (Chairman 1947-8); Deb. and Lit.; History Society ; StampClub; Sub-Librarian 1947-8. (Left July.}

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VI Literary, 3rd Year : G. D. Stringer (1939-48) ; South House; Prefect JMunicipal Minor Scholarship 1940 ; Hallam 1944; S.C. 1945 ; H.S.C. 1947-8;Form Prize JB, JA, 2L, 3A, 5Lit.; Music Society (Chairman 1945-7);Deb. and Lit.; Dramatic, History Societies ; School under 14 Relay 1943 ;House Relay 1940-8; House 2nd XI Football 1946-7. (Left July.)VI Maths, 3rd Year : D. R. Marshall (1939-48); East House ; S.C. 1945 ;H.S.C. 1947-8; Foundation Member, Photographic Circle, 1947-8. (LeftJuly-}VI Maths., 3rd Year : P. G. T. Fogg (1941-8); East House; FoundationScholar 1941; Prefect 1947-8; Form Prize 1944-5-6; Nelstrop Prize;Special Science Prize 1948; S.C. 1945; H.S.C. 1947; State Scholarshipand Cheshire County University Scholarship 1947; Open Scholarship inNatural Science, Trinity College, Oxford, 1947 ; House Cricket and Football;House and School Fives Colours; School Play 1947.VI Maths., 3rd Year : F. B. Kelsall (1941-8) j East House; Stockport Muni-cipal Minor Scholarship 1941; Cheshire County Scholarship 1941; S.C.1945 ; H.S.C. 1947-8 ; Photographic Circle, 1948. (Left July.)VI Maths., 2nd Year: R. W. Owen (1941-48); North House; HouseCaptain 1947-8; School Prefect; Municipal Minor Scholarship 1941;House 1st XI Football 1945-8; House Football Colours; House 1st XICricket 1947-8; House Boxing Colours; School 2nd XI Football 1945-6;School 1st XI Football 1946-7-8 ; School Football Colours ; School 1st and2nd XI Cricket 1947; School Chess Team 1947-8 ; School Chess Colours ;Deb. and Lit. Society 1944-5; Music Society; Chess Club; A.T.C.;School Certificate 1945-6; Higher School Certificate 1948 ; Gridley Mathe-matical Prize 1948.VI Literary, 3rd Year : D. Butterfield (1938-48); East House; SchoolCertificate 1945 ; Subsidiary Higher School Certificate 1947 ; Higher SchoolCertificate 1948 ; Second Form Prize Junior A 1940; VI Literary 1st YearPrize 1946; Orchestra Prize 1947; "Robinson" History Prize 1948;Stamp Club 1941-48; Music Society 1942-48 (Hon. Secretary 1945-47);School Orchestra 1944-48 (Orchestral Librarian 1946-48); Chess Club1945-48; Debating and Literary Society 1945-48 (Hon. Secretary 1947-48) ;History Society 1946-48. (Left July.)VI Literary, 3rd Year : D. P. Adams (1939-48) ; North House; S.C. 1945 ;H.S.C. 1948; Municipal Minor Scholarship 1940; House Cricket 1st XI1946-8; House Football 2nd XI 1945-8; School Fives Team 1947-8;House Colours; School Chess Captain and Secretary, 3rd Prize 1947, 1stPrize 1948 ; Colours 1948 ; Stamp Club (Treasurer 1944-5) ; Deb. and Lit.

S.C. 1945;Cheshire

Major Scholarship". 1948 ; Stamp Club (Secretary 1944-48); Deb. and Lit.,Chess, Photographic, Music, Dramatic, History Societies. (Left July.)VI Literary, 3rd Year : B. Philbin (1940-48); West House; S.C. 1945 ;H.S.C. 1947-8 ; School Tennis Captain 1948 ; Football Secretary 1947-48 ;Tennis Secretary 1947; House Vice-Captain 1948; School Football 1stteam 1946-48; Colours 1947-48; Tennis Colours 1947-48; Fives Colours1948; Chess 1945-48 (Colours 1948); Badminton team 1946-47; HouseFootball, Tennis, Cricket, Fives and Lacrosse ; Choir; Dramatic, Deb. andLit., Music, History Societies (Left July.)VI Literary, 2nd Year : D. F. McPhee (1942-48); West House; MunicipalMinor Scholarship 1942 ; S.C. 1946 ; H.S.C. 1948 ; Nelstrop Prize 1948 ;School and House 1st XI Football 1947-48; School and House FootballColours; Captain, House 2nd XI Cricket; House Fives, Relays, Tugs;Dramatic, Deb. and Lit. (Treasurer 1947-48), History Societies; U.N.A.(Left July.)VI Literary, 2nd Year : N. T. Cheadle (1939-48); East House ; S.C. 1946 ;School 1st XI Cricket (Colours); School 2nd XI Football; House 1st XICricket and Football (Colours both); Deb. and Lit., Music, Arts and Crafts,Dramatic Societies; Chess, Railway Clubs; Choir 1942; Cadet A.T.C.1946-48. (Left July.)VLiterary : J.B. Scott (1943-48); Municipal Minor Scholarship 1943; SchoolCertificate 1947 and 1948; Member Railway Club 1943-1948 (Treasurer

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1948) ; Member Stamp Club 1943-48 ; Chess Club 1945 ; Debating andLiterary Society 1946-48 ; Venturers' Society (Founder Member and Sec-retary 1946-48) ; Member, School Branch, United Nations Association1947-48 ; Photographic Group 1947-48 ; Cadet Air Training Corps 1947-48 ;Dramatic Society and School Play 1948 ; Arts and Crafts Society 1948.V Literary : G. C. Seymour (1942-8) ; West House ; Colts and House 2ndXI Cricket; S.C. 1947.Remove : J. R. Furness (1942-8) ; West House ; House Relay, under 16and open ; House 2nd XI Cricket and Football ; Railway Club ; A.T.C. ;S.C. 1947.Remove : K. Jackson (1942-8) ; East House ; House Cricket and Football;1st XI ; House Lacrosse XII ; House Cricket, Football and Boxing Colours;Dramatic and Arts and Crafts. (Left July.)Remove : A. Dutton (1943-8); South House; House 2nd XI Cricket andLacrosse ; S.C. 1948 ; Arts and Crafts and Dramatic Societies ; Choir ;Cadet A.T.C. (Left September.)Remove : J. R. Park (1940-8) ; West House. (Left October.)Remove : J. P. Oakes (1940-8) ; East House ; House 2nd XI Cricket andFootball ; Arts and Crafts ; Stamp Club ; Orchestra ; A.T.C.3 A : J. Woodcock (1943-8) ; South House ; Choir. (Left July.)

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THE OLDEST STOPFORDIAN.On Thursday, October 7, the School sent a telegram of congratulation toMr. Herbert Parkes (of the well-known local firm of Messrs. Parkes andNephew), congratulating him on the attainment of his ninety-fifth birthday.Mr. Parkes was admitted to the School on September 23, 1863, under the head-mastership of Mr. Charles G. Hamilton, M.A., only four years after thedeparture of the Goldsmiths' Company. His brother, Mr. Alexander BraikParkes, entered the School at the age of nine two years later, and anotherbrother, Thomas William Parkes, came the following year. Since theirfather, Mr. Herbert Hill Parkes, was set down in the register as an iron mer-chant, it makes the present family business well over a century old. Membersof the Parkes family were, however, attending the School long before this,notably William (born 1825) and Thomas (born 1829), sons of Jesse Parkes,a farmer, of Bramhall. Various other branches of the widespread Parkes'family are scattered about the early School registers.Mr. Herbert Parkes has quite a vivid memory of his schooldays. He remem-bers Headmaster Hamilton chiefly as a fiery Irishman, very ready with thecane, though in those days there were few headmasters who were not soinclined. Then he remembers the Trustees, of whom the most popular wasMr. William Linton Eskrigge, who used to " wangle " half holidays for theboys and arrange treats at which much pop and many Eccles cakes wereconsumed.Mr. Parkes has also been good enough to send us a prize book, awarded inthe summer of 1869 to his youngest brother. It is a copy of " The Life ofColumbus," and like all prize books given at School in those days was beau-tifully bound in leather with the School seal stamped in gold on the back.Those were the days when things were done in great style.The School telegram (so we are assured) gave the greatest pleasure to ouroldest old boy. That pleasure could, however, be exceeded by our own if itis ever the School's good fortune to congratulate Mr. Parkes on being a hundredyears old.

"THE STOPFORDIAN" appeals toits readers to support its Advertisers

whenever possible

*WK«W**IH«**<*'f*<rtH«^

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JOHN HORN'SPopular Sweets for all Seasons

Mint WafersMint ImperialsFruit PastillesMixed Fruit JelliesLime Fruit JelliesWine GumsBlackcurrant PastillesJelly BeansChoco Nuts and RaisinsJap DessertChoc. LentilsCoconut LentilsBeauty Mixture

M A D E B Y J O H N H O R N (Stockport) LTD

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OBITUARY.FALLOWS.—Many causes beside the School lost a good friend on October 12,when Mr. John Cocks Fallows died at Romiley at the age of 72. He was acricketer and sportsman of great popularity, President of the Stockport CricketClub, of which he had been a member nearly half a century, and Treasurerof Lancashire County Cricket Club. His active work was mostly done inCheshire. Starting at Stockport Grammar School, he played next for Bred-bury, and then Stockport, for which he was a stalwart player for twenty-fiveyears and captain for ten. He also captained Cheshire from 1909 to 1914.In addition, he was President of Romiley Cricket Club for 30 years and theoldest playing'member. To the School he gave the beautiful silver sportsshield which is awarded to the captain of the champion house each SpeechDay. His son, Mr. J. A. Fallows, also attended the School and brought honourto it by his election to the captaincy of Lancashire County Cricket Club inthe first post-war season. The School was represented at the funeral by theHeadmaster and the Senior Prefect.HULME.—Mr. A. Hulme, who died at the age of 80 on August 18,remembered the days before gas was installed at School, and also remembersth?t gas was once put in for a School play and removed after the production.He will be remembered by many as a well-known photographer.

A FAITHFUL SERVANT PASSES.During the Long Vacation, on September 2, Sergt.-Major R. S. Miller, formerlyof the School office, passed away. Few of the School staff were at hand tohear the sad news at the time, so that Mr. Beckwith alone represented theSchool at the funeral. There could, however, be none who knew him whodid not feel acutely the loss of a most conscientious worker and a most worthycitizen. He took over the work of School receptionist and manager of theoffice stores during the dark days of the war, when his son was calledup forsservice, and despite advanced age performed his numerous and exacting dutie.with a tireless continuance that would have done credit to a man of half his age.Never irritated, but always obliging, he was a model of painstaking consistency,and retired in December, 1945.Sergt.-Major Miller was blessed to receive at least one great reward in life.He was the father of six sons and two daughters, all of whom reflected thegreatest credit upon him. Five sons served in the Forces, unassisted in anyway save by a sensible home discipline, yet one became a Lieut.^Colonel,two others Majors, another a Regimental Sergt.-Major, and another a Quarter-master-Sergeant. The other son and two daughters became a priest inUganda, a nun in Johannesburg, and the wife of a doctor in the R.A.M.C.It was upon the loyalty of such families in the past that the British peoplesoared to world-supremacy.We condole with the widow, sons and daughters of our late Sergeant-Major,who has so conspicuously fired his family with his zeal and unswervingpatriotism, yet should we not rather congratulate them on the treasuredmemory of so inspiring an example ?

* * *ON THE PASSING OF THE TEMPORARY SCHOOL CAP.

O Cap, most showy of our clothes,You were a dread monstrosity,Chosen to fill a gap in times of shortage.O Cap, so oft insulted,You did not merit such obloquy,Dearest fellow, as you achieved.Though black and yellow,You showed, alas, a lackOf traditional design.Yet for a while you servedTo keep in mind and eyeOur badge of ancient ancestry.Farewell, Cap, ugly but helpfulFor so long.

DISCIPULUS.Seven

THE EXAMINATIONS, JULY, 1948.SCHOOL CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION.

The following boys passed :—Form V Literary :K. G. Alderson P. J. Hall R. L. PerryF. G. C. Atkinson D. Hopwood J. B. RhodesT. H. Austin G. H. Jeff B. D. RobinsonD. J. Bray G. W. Knowles J. B. ScottA. Caine M. Macrae A. J. StevensonJ. D. Chambers P. K. Massey K. F. TurnerH. K. Goalen D. A. G. Newberry P. Tysoe

D. OldhamThose who obtained five credits or better were :—Alderson 6 ; Bray 4A, 3c ;Hall 5; Hopwood?; Jeff 8; Newberry 5 ; Oldham 6 ; Rhodes 6 ; Robinson5 ; Stevenson 7 ; Turner 6 ; Tysoe 6.Form V Science :J. Bartlam G. C. Hipwell I. M. ScottA. R. Batty I. T. Hodgson N. G. StottM. W. Black J. R. Inchley A. G. TetlowI. A. Burt I. L. Jodrell F. R. TurnerJ. S. Clarke P. R. Kerr R. A. UnderwoodE. J. Dearnaley R. A. Morrison R. VossA. Fisher C. G. Perry C. R. WhartonW. A. Hamilton F. R. Potts R. D. WoodN. P. Haworth M. S. PranceG. Hebblethwaite D. W. PriceThose who obtained five credits or better were :—Bartlam, 4A, 2c ; Batty 6 ;Black 7 ; Burt, 4A, 2c ; Clarke 6A3 2c ; Dearnaley 8 ; Hamilton 6 ; Haworth8 ; Hebblethwaite 4A, 4c; Hodgson 7 ; Jodrell 4A, 2c ; Kerr 7 ; Morrison 5 ;Perry 6 ; Potts 6 ; Prance 9 ; Price, 4A, 2c ; Scott 5 ; Tetlow 9 ; Turner 8 ;Underwood 8 ; Voss, 7A, Ic.Form V Remove :A. Button J. H. Holdsworth A. E. PendleburyS. R. Forster D. W. G. Macdonald E. N. RodmanJ. R. Furness J. P. OakesCredits or better in separate subjects were obtained by :—G. Campbell (Latin);B. Philbin (Latin); G. A. Pickup (French), and D. Wood (Latin).

HIGHER SCHOOL CERTIFICATE.Form VI Literary :D. P. Adams P. A. Holliday B. PhilbinD. Butterfield R. S. Kirkman V. P. RobertsonB. P. Dencer T. A. Lockett G. D. StringerR. N. Hankinson D. F. McPhee C. H. WillcockForm VI Maths. :D. J. Blomley R. W. Henley W. B. SkidmoreD. A. Boyle A. J. B. Holloway C. ThompsonD. A. Cockerill F. B. Kelsall V. H. VossP. G. T. Fogg D. R. Marshall A. WatsonG. A. Forth R. W. Owen B. D. WettersD. Glendinning B. Phillips S. P. WhitleyA. O. Griffiths P. K. Richardson I. G. YuleDistinctions were obtained by:—Kirkman (French), Fogg (Chemistry),Owen (Physics), Thompson (Physics and Chemistry)." Very Good " in the Scholarship papers was obtained by :—Dencer (History),Walton (History), Cockerill (Physics), Forth (Physics), Thompson (Chemis-try), Voss (Chemistry). Blomley obtained " Excellent " in Physics at Scholar-ship standard.Fifty-eight School Certificates were obtained and thirty-three Higher SchoolCertificates.

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SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS.D. J. Blomley, D. A. Cockerill, V. H. Voss and R. S. Kirkman have beenawarded Cheshire County Major University Scholarships.I. G. Yule was awarded a Stockport Major Exhibition.

EPHRAIM HALLAM SCHOLARSHIPS.The above have been awarded to J. H. E. Berry, P. D. Holden, F. R. Huxley,S. D. Lawrence, R. G. Turner, A. A. D. Wiseman.

UNIVERSITY CORRESPONDENCE.Cambridge.

November, 1948.The Editor,The Stopfordian.

Cambridge certainly has its quota of Old Stopfordians this year. The placeis infested with them. Three dwell in Emmanuel, three belong to Cat's,three hide away in that peculiar place across the river—Magdalene—threelurk in the confines of Sidney, and four roam around in John's.

A vociferous and hearty welcome has been tendered by the old stagers to thenewly rehabilitated arrivals from the Services, no doubt now well disciplinedfor a stringent period of study after a few years of mental relaxation. Fromthe R.A.F. arrive Messrs. Humbles, Adshead, and Brough—who to all appear-ances have been influenced by Air Force Traditions. Peter Potts has also comedown to earth. The Army has disgorged Garrett from the IntelligenceCorps, where he was so much at home deciphering ciphers and filling upB.F.N. spare programme times, and Sutcliffe, who must have been in hiselement in the Catering Corps as a tradesman. We believe Bullen also hailsfrom the Army. From somewhere have appeared Ramsey and Bardsley.Little is known of them.

The smugness of those men past the Fresher stage is something to marvel at.A patriarchal atmosphere is exuded by Cleveland and Ken France, Cannonbasks in th% reflected glory of his room-mate (not a Stopfordian), who goesaround impressing people with his boundless knowledge of philosophy.

David Anderson, aghast at finding himself back here, has turned energeticallyto squash, and shows signs of progress. Haszeldene is reputed to be concealedsomewhere in Sidney, but no reliable information is to hand. Wilshaw,having learnt all there is to learn about rowing, has taken up the noble art offencing, about which he knows less. Lees, a Magdalene man, remainsenigmatic.

Due apologies are offered for any omissions or inaccurate statements.

This, of course, is the first term in the year when no work is done. Time isspent partly at lectures—a habit which later falls off, giving place to moreprofitable pursuits^-and at coffee or the Arts, depending on the time of day.Societies are attended assiduously and conspiracies incubated and hatched inpreparation for November 5th and Poppy Day, which regain an almost pre-war standard of extravagance and high spirits. In self-defence, let it be saidthat no Stopfordian was caught doing anything anti-social, though certainmerry gentlemen had their spirits slightly damped when passing below acertain window of a certain college.

The immediate horizon being the Christmas vac., we all sit down and waitfor it. Work will start next term. . . . ?

CANTAB.

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THE SCHOOL TRIP tO SWITZERLAND.SUMMER, 1948.

It is seldom indeed that, on looking back on a holiday, one is able to apply theusual superlatives with genuine sincerity. Yet, as I write of the School'strip to Switzerland in the summer holidays, the entire vacation has assumedan air of fascinating unreality, and each superlative which I apply is evokedby a feeling of real pleasure.The party, under the leadership of Mr. Herrmann and Mr. Hepton, set offby North Western bus at nine o'clock one August evening, and made the jour-ney up to London through the night. After a brief sight-seeing tour of thecity, and a good breakfast, we caught the boat train for Newhaven. Weatherand Customs were both very kind on the crossing, and nightfall found usdining in a Parisian restaurant. Then followed two or three hours' explorationof Paris, until we caught the midnight train for Switzerland from the Garede Lyon. We had all anticipated having to sleep on hard wooden seats,and were most agreeably surprised to find quite reasonable upholstery in thecarriages. So the night passed away, and morning found us at Montreux,our destination, all very tired, but delighted to have come. The InstituteFisher, where we stayed, showed typical Swiss hospitality and generosity to us,and I would like to place on record the kindness and thoughtfulness withwhich we were treated. The first day of our stay, a Thursday, was largelyspent in recuperation from our journey, although several of the party went intoMontreux—we stayed in Territet on the outskirts of the town itself—andgazed in wonder at the shops, packed to overflowing with everything you canand cannot get at home.The following morning saw us setting off on a short walk up to the villages ofGlion and Caux, and back via one of the beautifully-wooded mountain valleysof that part of the country. On Saturday we embarked on a motor launchand chugged up the Lake of Geneva to Lausanne, which we explored at theexpense of our small allowance, and sailed back again.The following day, being Sunday, we made our way to church ; some of usto the English one, the other more hardy souls to the Swiss one, where weenjoyed a service which proved interesting and enlightening without being veryintelligible. That Sunday was a really beautiful day, and, as it turned out,exactly half the sum total of the good weather we were to receive. The lakelay like something enchanted, mirroring the blue sky and catching the glancesof the mountains. In the far distance the snow-capped Debts du Midireared their white.heads, and gazed down almost affectionately on to the water.Unfortunately a mountain assumes quite a different aspect when it has to beclimbed ,• and we had to climb the Rochers de Naye, all the 6,500 feet of it,on the Monday. Setting off at about 7-45 a.m., we reached the top withoutmishap, under the guidance of the cook, Ernst, just after mid-day. We spenttwo hours there admiring the distant Alps, and despite the terrific heat occa-sionally throwing snowballs at one another. Those moments spent on thevery top of the Rochers de Naye were undoubtedly the most precious of theentire holiday, so filled were we by the wonderful sense of achievement athaving ascended such a mountain, and at the glory of what we could see.Reluctantly, at about half-past-three, we set off back to Montreux.At one point on the descent we were unfortunate enough to lose our bearings,but these we soon recovered, and very late we dragged our weary selves intoMontreux, triumphant in the knowledge that we had conquered the Rochersde Naye.Tuesday was a day of shopping, and of the consumption of great quantities ofchocolate. The Swiss food was so very wonderful, that it provided a never-ending source of conversation for us. Throughout our stay, incidentally,we indulged hi the most delightful bathing in the lake, close to the romanticChateau Chillon, immortalised by Byron, and used one afternoon in the fas-cinating exploration of the place, in an atmosphere distinctly reminiscent of theMiddle Ages.On Wednesday, our last whole day, we went by motor coach to the GreatSt. Bernard's Hospice. Whilst there we slipped over the frontier and spent

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five minutes in Italy, in the pouring rain, and returned, fully qualified todescribe in future years the time " When I was in Italy. . . . "Alas, the following day brought the end of our holiday, and we journeyedhomeward, rejoicing in our experiences, but sorrowful at their termination.There is one thing I have not yet mentioned, and I leave it to the last, becauseit is the most important. Never, for one moment, did we cease to marvel atMr. Herrmann's wonderful organisation, which was, without doubt,, the key-note of the entire trip. On behalf of the whole party I would like to expressour heartfelt thanks both to him and to Mrs. Herrmann, for the great timewe all enjoyed, and to add that if the Christmas party enjoy themselves onlyhalf as much as we did, they will still have by far the best holiday of theirlives.

* * *

OEDIPUS, KING OF THEBES.It is a far cry to 425 B.C., when Oedipus Tyrannus was probably first produced,and it is an amazing thing that audiences of to-day should still be moved byit as they were during the performances given by the Dramatic Society thisterm. The explanation lies partly in the genius of Mr. and Mrs. A. Johnston,who contrive to draw out of ever-changing material and to bring to somethingvery like perfection what no one would suspect to be there—the power toportray worthily some of the greatest dramatic work of all time. They againhad the able help of Mr. Dobson, who designed the set and the costumes,Mr. Potts, who painted the scene, and a host of others who were responsiblefor equally essential parts of the production. The excellence of their workis a tribute at once to themselves and to Mr. and Mrs. Johnston, who inspiredtheir efforts.But the success of the play is after all due primarily to the genius of Sophocles.He gives us drama which stands alone in concentration and complex unity.As a work of art the play is unmatched, in characterisation, grouping, and theconduct of the action, every touch being made to contribute to the mainmagic effect. Pity and terror, to excite which was considered by Aristotleas the great purpose of tragedy, here reach their highest pitch, for theSophoclean drama, less elemental than that of Aeschylus and less " modern "than that of Euripides, takes as its theme the affairs of men rather than of gods,revealing all that in human life is saddest and all that is most precious. Inthe Athenian spectator, as in the audience here at School, were awakenedemotions of wonder concerning man's destiny, admiration for nobleness inthe unfortunate and a sense of the infinite value of personal uprightness anddomestic purity. The unspeakable horror of the story would be unbearablewere it not that the dramatist looks steadily at monstrous evil and still keepsfresh his faith in innocence and mercy. These spiritual values emergingfrom the essentially religious character of Greek drama give to the Oedipusa permanence rooted in the remotest past which even to Sophocles was darkantiquity.Clay was magnificent in the tremendous part of Oedipus the King, magnificentin his glory and in his fall: impetuous, passionate, benevolent, loving,grandly majestic, yet ready to bow to whatever the will of the gods might be.The richness, power and range of his voice seized and held the audienceand-finally bore them away into an imaginative participation in his sufferings.He played throughout with intensity, culminating in the lacerating pathosof the final scene. Macrae's Jocasta had so much tenderness combined with amature queenly grace that one could forget the barbarous exposure of thechild Oedipus and feel nothing but pity as she exclaimed :

My Son!He slew no man, that poor deserted one

That died . . .The dawning realisation of the truth of Oedipus' identity was beautifullysuggested and her final words of farewell reached a high peak of tragicpoignancy. Turner, K. J., as Creon gave-an intelligent interpretation of thisless heroic character, but his performance lacked colour and there was somemonotony in his pained and querulous utterances. Still, his was an interesting

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Study in bewilderment at the inscrutable ways of gods and men. The remain-ing characters were well denned and admirably cast. Rowbottom as the priestof Zeus achieved a mellow dignity; Tiresias (played by Birtles) was a terribleand towering figure whose blindness seemed both real and sinister and whoseresonant tones shook the air; in contrast his very young disciple (Wiseman)was the embodiment of artless insouciance. The stranger from Corinth(James) added still another note to the growing harmony, combining an assuredbearing with a clear confidence of speech which accentuated the irony of the" good news " he brought, whilst Lpckett made the most of the small butvital part of the Old Shepherd. Milner's fine recitative as the messengerfrom the Palace was received with a deepening hush as the frightful sceneshe told of became real in the minds of his hearers. It was indeed well done.The chorus had perhaps the most difficult part of all, for they had to overcomethe unfamiliarity of the audience with this feature of Greek tragedy and at thesame time to perform their proper function of providing the lyrical accompani-ment to the action. They were clearly audible and showed a good sense ofrhythm. Bedford, as leader, lifted the performance to a high level of poeticbeauty by his appreciation of the melody linked to the dramatic purport ofthe lines. A word of praise must be spared for the graceful movements of theQueen's attendant maidens (Goalen and Higham) and for the statuesqueimmobility of the guards (Rodman and Thornber).The beauty of the setting was one of the surprises of the play : the symbolicaltreatment of the mountain mass of .Kithairon in the background achieved thatquivering balance in which the imagination is stirred and the reason notoffended; and in the foreground the splendid palace gates of red and goldgave unexpected richness and colour—colour which was echoed in soft grada-tions in the dress of the characters. The opening scene, revealing the Thebansuppliants ranged around the altar of Apollo and before the palace steps wasreminiscent of a vase painting in its purity of line and grace of pose.To my mind the play this year has this also to commend it—it is a meanswhereby we have been able to share an experience with some very old Stop-fordians : scarcely with those of 1487 or so, but assuredly with those of theEnglish Renaissance to whom a Shakespeare play was unknown and withwhom we seem to have so little in common. In their knowledge of the classicsthey were our superiors, but we may suppose that they were moved by thesufferings of Oedipus much as we were and felt the grandeur of the tragedyas we did; so that in reaching back into the past to find some contact withthese remote schoolfellows, it is pleasant to think that if we have not quitejoined hands with them we have at least touched the tips of their fingers.While it is true that many people may not enjoy lengthy monologuesand " static " acting, and few prefer a translation, however fine, to its original,and some may even find recurrent rhymes a little teasing, a very large numberstill feel that the production of Sophocles' great tragedy is a suitable successorto last year's " Hamlet." But after Sophocles ?

M.E.R.

^ * *THE DEBATING AND LITERARY SOCIETY.

With the arrival of the winter term the Debating and Literary Society againresumed its activities. The annual elections resulted in Shepherd's appoint-ment as Vice-President; Lees was elected Treasurer, Walton Sub-Secretary,Newberry Usher, and Milner Secretary. Hipwell and Holroyd have sincebeen appointed committee members for VI Maths.The first ordinary meeting of the year took the form of a debate on the motionthat " Britain is going to the dogs." Walton, seconded by Lees, spoke forthe motion, which was opposed by Royle and James. After a lively debate,the motion was defeated by 11 to 4.An especially enjoyable meeting of Sharp Practices was held on October 14.Literary papers were presented by Birtles, Campbell and Shepherd at the nextassembly of the house. This was followed, three weeks later by a debate onthe motion that " Europe is still groping for a substitute for feudalism."This subject, although a difficult one, was ably proposed by Jevons and

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Grainger, and equally well opposed by Macfie and Holt. The Chairman'scasting vote carried the resolution.As we go to press we are keenly anticipating a quiz, given by Mr. W. Johnstonand Mr. Hardie, which should be really excellent.The end of term, however, will see one of the greatest moments in the entirehistory of the Society, namely, the five hundredth meeting. For over fortyyears, surviving two major wars, the Society has nourished, has encouragedthe cultivation of the art of debate, has upheld its tradition and observed itsconstitution rigidly. It is fitting, therefore, that such a quin-centenarymeeting should consist of a joint debate with the Old Stopfordians. This isto take place on December 14 ; both past and present members of the Societyare most cordially invited to this great anniversary.Finally, I would like, on behalf of the Society, to express our very sincerethanks to Mr. Norris and to Mr. W. Johnston, for their invaluable support,and to all who have in any way helped towards the success of our meetings.

J. C. MILNER, Hon. Secretary,A * *

THE SOCIAL SIDE.ARTS AND CRAFTS.

At the general annual meeting, presided over by Mr. Horn, Cannon wasappointed hon. secretary, while Booth was given the position of treasurer.The work meetings held this term on the crafts side have had satisfactoryattendance, especially by the fifth and third forms. The arts side has beenhindered by rehearsals for the School play being held in the art room. Thuswe were unable to start properly until November 4, but enthusiasm is steadilyincreasing. A visit to the engineering works of Mirrlees, Bickerton and DayLtd., has been arranged for November 25, and it is hoped that the Societywill visit several more industrial establishments.Next term Mr. Horn has promised to give a lecture on model railway building.Mr. Bromley and Mr. Potts continue to give invaluable assistance to theSociety.

J. C. CANNON.MUSIC SOCIETY.

The Society has enjoyed a most prosperous term and our membership stillcontinues to increase by leaps and bounds. At our last meeting there wereover thirty present.The first meeting was devoted to the election of officers and to private business.The second meeting was a programme of gramophone records lent by themembers, entitled " Members' Choice." This feature of the Society isbecoming extremely popular. The records played ranged from part of VaughanWilliams' " Communion Service in G Minor," to " They say that falling inlove is wonderful."The third meeting of the session was one of the most successful, namely," The Swing Session," presented by P. J. Higham. This meeting usuallyattracts a large attendance. Higham made the meeting extremely interestingand obviously had a wide knowledge of his subject.The last meeting of the Society before our notes went into press was a revivalof the once yearly contest between teams representing the Literary Sixthand the Mathematical Sixth. The Mathematical Sixth, who received vocife-rous encouragement from their followers, won handsomely by a margin of34 to 27 points.We hope at a future date to approach the High School and revive our yearlycontest with them. .We would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Boak for the loan ofhis wireless on several occasions. Finally we would welcome more supportfrom the lower part of the School, upon whom the Society will rely in futureyears.

B.G.L.T.STAMP CLUB.

The large current membership of the Stamp Club is a sign of the continuedinterest of members of the School in the hobby of philately. The officialselected for this season are: Mr. B. Varley, president; D. J. Blomley (6M),secretary; P. M. Leahy (6M), treasurer.

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The meetings this term have included a most interesting paper on " StampPerforations and Rouletting," by Leahy, and a talk by Blomley on the prosand cons of specialisation. Perhaps the most popular meeting was that of Nov-ember 16, when a large number of members competed for prizes of stamps in aquiz, the questions of which were displayed round the room. On a handi-capped marking system, Grainger (VLit.), Turner (VS.) and Figg (4A) tiedfor first place, with 20 marks out of 26. Special consolation prizes wereawarded to Grant of the first form and Thompson of the second for two verygood sets of answers. Further meetings are being arranged, and any personinterested in stamp-collecting is invited to join.

D.J.B.

THE CHESS CLUB.At the end of last term the Chess Club suffered a great blow when it lost theservices of Mr. Conway, who retired. For many years he had been the quiet,efficient President of this flourishing society, and was always available onMonday evenings, ever ready to give help and advice. We extend our sincerethanks to Mr. Conway for playing such an important part in building the ChessClub into the successful society that it is to-day.Our thanks also go to Adams, who was a prominent member in the Club fromits recommencement after the war until the end of last term, when, afterbeing secretary and captain for the year (in which 11 of the 13 matches playedwere won), he left us to serve his country in the Forces.At the general meeting in September, Mr. Perry accepted the vacant presi-dency. The following officers were elected : secretary, assistant secretary,treasurer, and assistant treasurer—Phillips, R., Waters, Phillips, B., and Under-wood respectively.There has been much activity in the " ladder " this term, especially as the oldpoints system has been abandoned. A competition on the knock-out basisis in progress for members of both the senior and junior clubs.For the first time the Club has entered a chess league ; the Schools' Divisionof the Manchester and District Chess Association ; this also includes a teamfrom the junior club. However, to the time of going to press, no such matcheshave been played, the first being on November 25, but we can report aresonably successful record in friendly matches :—

Played Won Lost Drawn For Against6 5 1 0 22 17

School v. Stockport School (away). Won 4—3.This victory over our local rivals was mainly due to the success of our lowerboards, where Baker (the baby of the team) and Underwood, playing in theirfirst match, both won their games. Phillips, B. and Voss were the othervictors.

School v. Manchester Grammar School (away). Lost 0—7 (!)Manchester were the better team, but not so much as the score appears to show.Even our opponents will admit that we gave them hard games, and if it hadnot been for costly mistakes near the end, both Phillips, B. and Baker wouldat least have drawn; but " ifs " and " buts " do not win matches.

School v. Manchester Central (home). Won 4—3.As we meet Manchester Central in the league later in the term, this result is agood omen. Although Parker, Phillips B. and Baker won their games, ouropponents also won three, and the result of the match depended on the gamebetween Phillips R. and his opponent. This game Had to be sent up foradjudication.

School v. Macclesfield King's School (home). Won 3|—2J.A gasp of dismay, after about fifteen minutes, from Voss's opponent set theSchool on to its first home victory over Macclesfield since the war. Parkercontinued in his winning way, and Waters, back after illness, proved he hadlost none of his talent. However, Macclesfield drew our lead down to 3—2,but when Phillips R. accepted a draw offered by his opponent, School had won3J-2J.

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School v. Cheadle Hulme (away). Won 5|—\.This comparatively easy victory was probably due to the fact that it wasGuy Fawkes' night, both sides wishing to get to their respective bonfiresas soon as possible. Play was fast and furious, both sides making many mis-takes, Cheadle Hulme having the higher percentage. Of the team, PhillipsR., Phillips B., Voss, Waters, Pickup and Parker, Phillips R. conceded theonly half point.School v. Burnage High School (away). Won 6—1.Once again School had quite an easy victory, with wins from Phillips B.,Voss, Pickup, Parker, Baker C. D., and Phillips R.The following boys have represented the School in matches : Phillips B.,Voss, Waters, Pickup, Parker, Baker C. D., Underwood, Cockerill, andPhillips R.

THE JUNIOR CHESS CLUB.In the capable hands of Mr. Herrmann the Junior Chess Club is progressingby leaps and bounds, where the standard of play, considering that practicallyall the boys are under 14 years of age, is very high. The Club.appears to be avery popular society amongst the juniors, as the membership is greater thanthat of the senior club. Some of the members have already " knocked out "members of the senior club in the competition.Up to date the juniors have won both their friendly matches played, and weare looking to them for great achievements when the league matches begin.Their record is :—

Played Won Lost Drawn For AgainstPoints

2 2 0 0 8 2Juniors v. Manchester Central (home). Won 5—0.For the first time the juniors played a match, this makes a very good result.The team'of Blamphin, A. Baker, Bourne, Tyldesley and Williamson justromped home to victory.Juniors v. Macclesfield King's (home). Won 3—2.After an early setback of losing two games, the juniors recovered and won theremaining three through Blamphin, Bourne and Tyldesley.Well done, Juniors. Keep it up !

R.C.P.; A.J.W.HISTORY SOCIETY.

Up to the time of going to press there have been three meetings of the Societythis term. The support for these meetings has been good, but' it is felt thatnot everyone knows that every member of the fifth and sixth forms is entitledto join the Society, and that there is no subscription. The aims are to discusshistorical subjects in an informal manner, to conduct research on things ofhistorical interest and to visit places outside School, such as St. Mary's ParishChurch, which provide a more practical scope for our study of history.The first meeting of the term took place on Tuesday, September 21, in Room 8,with the secretary, Shepherd, in the chair. The main business was the electionof officers. Mr. A. Johnston and Mr. Hardie were unanimously re-electedto the positions of president and vice-president respectively and, after Shep-herd had announced his intention not to stand for re-election, Lees was electedas secretary.The second meeting was on Friday, October 1, with the Secretary in the chair.Mr. Hardie gave a very interesting lecture on the " Spanish Succession Ques-tion," reading extracts from Mr. Churchill's book on Marlborough. Waltonthen gave a lecture on " British Battlefields," giving vivid accounts of the battlesof Hastings, Flodden, Edgehill, and the Montrose Campaign in Scotland.Both papers were followed by questions and discussion.On Thursday, October 21, the 15th meeting of the Society and the third of theterm took place in Room 8. A lecture on the character, aims and ideals ofWilliam the Silent was given by Alderson. Rpyle followed by giving a lectureon the " History of Lancashire," laying particular stress on the part playedby the county in the Civil War. As usual, both papers were followed by ques-tions and discussion.

It is hoped to hold more meetings now that the School play is over and the othersocieties have decided on the particular days for their meetings. The futureprogramme will include a quiz, debates, discussions, and visits to places ofhistorial interecst. A visit to Moreton Old Hall will probably take placetowards the end of the term or during the Christmas holidays.A more extensive programme will be arranged next term, and it is hoped thatgreater support will make the Society even more flourishing.

S. G. LEES (Hon. Sec).

SIXTH FORM PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY.This Society is formed of those members of the Vlth who study photographyin the last period on Thursday afternoons. Mr. D. B. Cassie has been electedpresident, D. J. Blomley (6M) secretary, and Price and Atkinson committeemembers.The meetings which have taken place as we go to press have included talksby Mr. Cassie on the technique of reversal development and the Dufay-colorprocess. The latter was illustrated with colour transparencies brought byAtkinson, which, when viewed through the microscope, revealed the natureof the colour image. On November 4 the Secretary gave a comprehensivepaper on the principles of development, which was followed the week afterby a demonstration by Griffiths (6M) of fine-grain development with chemicalssupplied by Messrs. Johnsons. On November 18 Mr. Cassie showed theSociety a series of fine lantern slides of bird and animal life in the FameIslands, which had been made by his colleague, Mr. E. J. Williams, ofNewcastle-on-Tyne.A full programme is being drawn up for the year to include talks, demonstra-tion, lantern lectures, and, it is hoped, occasional visits by outside speakers.

D.J.B.

RAILWAY CLUB.At the beginning of the term the following boys were elected to office or com-mittee : Secretary, Huxley (VLit.); treasurer, Scott (VLit.); Turner (VSci.)and Hughes (4A). We have had two meetings. The first was called " Rail-ways in the Holidays," when about six members gave short talks on things ofinterest seen on their holidays. The other meeting was a talk by Mr. Hornon " How to Construct a Model Locomotive." The talk was illustrated bythree models, all made by the lecturer.Later on in the term we are to have some railway films, issued by British Rail-ways. At the end of term we hope to have Mr. Potter, of Stockport School,to talk to the Club on the Railways of Stockport, on which he is an authority.A photographic competition, held in the summer holidays, was won by Hughes(4A).

F. R. HUXLEY.

RADIO SOCIETY.Fifteen enthusiastic boys have joined the School's newest society—the RadioSociety—and they are at present endeavouring to master the Morse Code.Each Monday evening in Room 23, under the guidance of Mr. Davies, theSociety meets, and when Morse becomes too boring, the technical side ofradio is discussed. Not the least interesting side is the talks' programme." Amateur Radio," given, naturally enough, by a local amateur, proved anincentive to the study of this wonderful subject, and in response to an eagerdesire to get to the basic principles, Griffiths (VIM) spoke of " Early Experi-ments." To illustrate how the science has progressed, Bartlam (VIM)described his visit to the Amateur Radio Exhibition in London, and gave avivid picture of the latest developments.As it is unlikely that any boy lives in a home not equipped with a set, thereshould be a large number of boys with an interest in the subject, and manymore members are expected as the activities of the Society become known.

I.L.J.

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J. M. JONESElectrical Contractor

. . Specialist in . .

PUBLIC BUILDING

and INDUSTRIAL

INSTALLATIONS

CONTRACTOR TO THE MINISTRY OF WORKS

Contractor for the new electrical installation andfluorescent lighting scheme in The CENTRAL LIBRARY,Stockport.

Contractor for the new electrical installation throughoutthe Stockport Grammar School.

Contractor to The Town Hall, Watch, Housing, PublicHealth, and Education Committees of StockportCorporation and industrial and commercial concerns.

124 Wellington Road SouthTel. STOckport 4853

Private Address:

CLENHOLME ROAD, B RAM HALL - - Tel. 694

Seventeen

ATHLETIC SOCIETY.This Society was formed kst term to promote the knowledge of and interestin athletics in the School, especially amongst the younger boys. Incidentally,we learn how to keep fit. During the summer the meetings took the form ofpractice for the older and coaching for the younger boys. During the othertwo terms meetings will take the form of discussions, lectures anddemonstrations.

D.W.G.M.THE VENTURERS' SOCIETY.

As acute pressure in the paper situation squeezed us out of The Stopfordianlast term, it would, perhaps, be profitable to give a short account of oursummer activities.The visits to the " Senior Service " cigarette factory met with great approval,and two most interesting outings were enjoyed. Unfortunately, owing tosome misunderstanding, no samples were forthcoming. Everybody wasvery helpful and we were each provided with a cup of tea in the welfare centreafter the proceedings.Of the two film shows held so far this term at the Central Library, only onehas been attended. These outings do not seem to be quite so popular as atfirst.Our main visit this term ended in disaster. Only three -stalwarts, Booth,Black and Scott, turned up for the trip to Birch Vale textile printing works,but, in spite of our small number, the staff were very considerate, and con-ducted us through all the processes in the works. A light tea of biscuits andbuns was gratefully received at the end of the afternoon. Another trip tothe same place is anticipated towards the end of the term as are the ones toMatlow's toffee factory, and to the Plaza Cinema—which, incidentally, willbe free of charge.Our Secretary leaves us this term, but wishes us " Good luck " in days to come.He joins the Committee in extending the customary greetings to all membersand wishes them " Good Venturing " once again.

J.B.S.* » *

ROUND THE HOUSES.NORTH HOUSE.

Having lost a considerable number of the house " notables," we have beenforced to rebuild our reputation from practically nought. On the face of it,it would appear that so far our attempts have not been too successful. How-ever, it must be remembered that the score is not always a true reflection ofthe game. For instance, the result of the lacrosse match with South (3—3)seems to indicate that the game was very equal, but in actual fact the Northgoal was threatened on very few occasions, whilst even the South goalkeepermust have lost count of the number of times the ball came out off the wood.From this it is apparent that against West and East, the latter especially, weshould do extremely well in the competition.In the football competition we have had considerable misfortune. AgainstSouth only the brilliance of Graham and the woeful weakness of the forwardsturned what should have been an overwhelming victory into a 2—1 defeat.Only Dencer of the forwards played up to standard and a considerable amountof his time and energy was spent in doing the work of the other forwards.Even the defence was uncertain and suffered from remarkable lapses. Thesecond eleven, playing with only seven of the regular team, lost 6—0, whilstthe third eleven were unfortunate to lose 5—3.Against East we were attacking for at least threequarters of the game, butagain the ineffectual play of the forwards failed to produce goals, and in thefinal minutes of the game East scored two very scrappy goals. The secondteam, back at full strength, absolutely overwhelmed all East's oppositionand were very easy winners. The third eleven, who were drawing at half-time, lost 5—0. This third eleven seems to provide an unsoluble problem.Undoubtedly several of the team are exceptionally good, and on paper theteam is much superior to the rest of the third elevens. Yet they have not wona match for two seasons. However, their time must come, and undoubtedlythey will provide the nucleus of a future strong North House.

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As the house was completely victorious in the fives competition last year,there is no reason why we should not accomplish a similar victory this year.However, Shepherd, who for several years has done sterling work for thehouse in fives, will need support from the rest of the house, especially fromthe third-formers.In swimming, our chances are particularly hopeful. Thanks to a systemformulated by Mr. Morris, by which instruction is given by senior and expe-rienced swimmers on the various techniques of swimming.. Already wepossess three School swimming champions, and obviously the system onFriday nights is paying rich dividends.Members of the fourth and fifth forms seem to J>e lacking a vigorous housespirit, and I appeal to them to remedy this fault. One way in which they canserve the house nobly is to volunteer to box for the house. This appeal forhouse boxing applies also to the rest of the house. Only by consistent supportfrom all members will the house once again resume its rightful position as" cock house."

K. ROSCOE.

EAST HOUSE.Bad weather conditions have again curtailed house activities to a minimum.Only two football fixtures and one lacrosse fixture have been completed.In football, against West, a sadly-depleted East 1st XI put up a brave ihowagainst a strong West XI. To the eternal credit of the Eastern XI it must besaid that they held their opponents until twenty minutes from the end, andeven managed to score. The result was 5—2 in favour of our opponents.The 2nd XI, under the captaincy of Hankinson, tried very hard to gain twopoints, but were unlucky, finally losing 6—0.Against West the 3rd XI ran out easy winners, 5—0, a score which does themlittle credit.A changed East 1st XI met North 1st XI on October 28, completely outplayingthe Northern boys. East won quite easily. The final score was 2—1.East 2nd XI were unfortunate to lose 7—2 against North 2nd XI. East wontheir 3rd XI match 5—0.Against South, the football forecast is a win on the 1st and 3rd teams for Eastand a win for South on the 2nd team.Against West, East lost her first match in lacrosse 2—1. Up to five minutesfrom the end the score was 1—1, East having all the play; but a breakawayand a lucky shot in the gloomy evening light gave a win to West. One houseofficial who does a great deal of work and gets little credit, is the house Vice-Captain. R. C. Phillips in this role is a tireless worker, and in praise of hisachievements, I can say that any house business left in his hands is performedin a manner beyond criticism.

P.L.C.

SOUTH HOUSE.The weather has robbed us of but one house match, yet, with an almostunchanged first team, we have had to yield our place at the head of the cham-pionship to West.This seemed hardly likely after an impressive victory against North. Northrelied on snap breakaways, which, indeed, tested the defence but only oncebeat Graham in goal, who played his best-ever game for the house.But West were more formidable opponents, and although within an ace ofvictory had finally to yield 4—3. The half-time score of 2—0 for us seemedan unassailable lead and the foundation of a really substantial victory, yet in afatal ten minutes West had drawn ahead. Their goals, indeed, were scrapedin from the line in slippery scrums, yet our half-backs must feel themselvesat fault in not marking more closely.Although Barton's "hat-trick" levelled the score, West were just able to snatcha winning goal almost on the final whistle. The lessons of this sad surprisewill encourage us to mark closely and play more keenly, and West will have ahard task to defeat us again.The second team seemed likely to uphold its last season's 100 per cent, record,especially after a resounding 5—0 victory over North. Yet on a small pitch

Nineteen

and against a really dangerous opposing half-back line they muddled to a4—2 defeat. They must mark closely, leave fewer gaps in defence, shootharder and pass further in attack if they are to be revenged on West.So the third team alone has a happy record. They have practised togetherkeenly and to good purpose, and with their weight and talent should provethe finest third team in the School.Lacrosse has continued this year, with no great increase in skill. Against Northwe drew 3—3, after a half-time lead of 3—0, yet we were happy enough to limp,battered and tired, from the field.

G.P.B.'WEST HOUSE.

The election of house officials for the year took place on Saturday5 September18 ; the following were elected : House captain, T. A. Lockett (re-elected);vice-captain, A. J. Nuttall; committee, C. Wyatt and G. F. Burns.The strength of the house on paper this year is not as great as it was last year,and yet up to the time of writing we have done far better this season than last.The competition for the football shield has been as keen as ever and at themoment I am happy to announce that West are several points ahead of theother houses. The first series of matches was against East. The 1st XIwon comfortably, 5—1. Goalen (3), Grant and Lockett were the scorers.In all fairness to our opponents, I must admit that we were playing a teamconsiderably weakened by injury or absence. Nevertheless we were superiorto East in every department of the game. Sibbles made a promising debutin goal, and Nuttall, Grant and Goalen all played particularly well. The 2ndXI won even more comfortably, the score being 6—0. The 2nd XI, whichwas our great weakness last year, looks like proving a very capable side thisyear, and we look forward to their being able to return an unbeaten record.The side is very capably led by Griffiths, and contains many promising players.Notable for their good play in this first match were Smith, Wyatt, Sweaneyand Aiken. The 3rd XI lost to East 6—0. The result was undoubtedlydisappointing, but the team is young and inexperienced ; most of its membersare new to house football, therefore we must not condemn them too harshly.However, it behoves them to play harder than ever, for they have in them themakings of a good side.The second series of matches was against South. Last year the struggle forthe house championship in all sports lay between ourselves and South, but,unfortunately for us, South emerged the victors in nearly every event. Thuswe went on the field determined to avenge last year's defeats, and managed todo so. We won 4—3. Caine (2), Grant and Goalen scored our goals. Southwere winning 2—0 at half-time. The second half saw West revive and reallyshow their best form, but finally we were worthy winners by a narrow margin.Outstanding were Griffiths, Smith, Wyatt, Sweaney and Aiken. The 3rd XIagain lost; this time 5—0. They really will have to play much harder infuture.It can be seen from the above results that West have been successful so farthis year. We should be able to beat North, and also to repeat our earliersuccesses against East and South. We must, however, guard against com-placency and over-confidence, and still strive our utmost if we are to attainthe ultimate success—the " Fallows " Shield.Our successes have not been confined to the football field alone. Our lacrosseteam has done exceptionally well, and won its first match against East by 2 goalsto 1. This, I feel, justifies our policy in playing on this team only boys whoare regular lacrosse players. We are very satisfied with the progress made inlacrosse by boys in the house and hope that the improvement will be continued.Swimming is usually neglected during the winter and spring terms, but Westhas arranged a weekly swimming practice for boys of the house. Seniormembers of the house go down to the baths and instruct non-swimmers inthe art. This policy should pay big dividends in the future.Finally, may I exhort the house to exert themselves to the utmost in everysphere of house activity, and to continue the run of success enjoyed throughoutthis year.

T. A. LOCKETT.

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fjf ON THE ADJOINING PAGE WE REPRODUCE A SKETCH OF THE PROPOSED

|j War Memorial Organ to be erected in the Hallam Hall, thoughunfortunately the limitations of our page inflict some injustice on

its very attractive and artistic design. It is now the subject of a specialappeal to all Old Boys, Parents, and Friends of the School, which bythis time should be in the hands of many of the people concerned.

It is hoped that all to whom the appeal is made will respondgenerously, Parents and Friends to the Headmaster at the School,and Old Stopfordians to the Treasurer of the Association, J. StuartSouthworth, Esq., Samlesbury, Davenport Park, Stockport.

The appeal provides us all with a splendid opportunity not only tomake a fitting memorial to the 112 Members of the School who havegiven their lives in two World Wars, but also to provide the School,of whose history and traditions we are so proud, with an asset of thehighest cultural and spiritual value.

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rHORNEB R O T H E R S L I M I T E D

Official Suppliers of

STOCKPORT GRAMMAR SCHOOL

RLAZERSOfficial Outfitters to over 500 Schools

109 MARKET STREET, MANCHESTER

Telephone: DEANSGATE 3974

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Twenty-one

FORM ROOM FACT AND FANCY.THE SIXTH.

It is well nigh a decade since I first read the 6th form notes, and with eachsucceeding issue of the Magazine I have become more and more surprised bythe opening gambits employed by the various 6th form scribes. The openingsentence of the Christmas issue is invariably: " There has been little of interestto record this term." I have decided to vary this arrangement, and my open-ing sentence4s, therefore: " This term, as usual, has been full of interest."There is a fallacy somewhere in this short introduction, which some brightyouth may be able to discover.I think it may be claimed that the most important in-School activity of theChristmas term (work excepted) is the Dramatic Society's production ofwhatever literary masterpiece it chooses to perform. This year the chosenoffering was " Oedipus Rex." As always the sight of various distinguishedsixth-formers attired in weird outfits, with beards, wigs, spears and " what-have-ypu," provoked the usual comment from the rest of School. At the timeof writing I am able to report that one and all have resumed their more normalappearances and seem to have suffered but little from their trying experience.We must now descend from the sublime heights of Greek tragedy to the moremundane affairs of 6th form life. It is our duty to report that no fewer thanten. of our members intend to go up to either Oxford or Cambridge with theintention of obtaining " schols." We wish them all the best of luck andsincerely hope they are all successful. We should get five whole days holidayif this were so. The father of all School societies, the Debating and LiterarySociety, is to hold its 500th meeting at the end of this term. Many Old Stop-fordians will be present, we hope, although we shall undoubtedly miss one ofour recent vice-presidents, who was chiefly responsible for the resuscitationof the Society after the war. He is unfortunately on His Majesty's business inCentral Iraq.Mention of Old Stopfordians brings me to a very interesting topic, the re-appearance of many of our old form-mates, dressed in battledress and talkingairily of " Clerk G.D.," or the " Q.M.S.M.," or " Q.E.D.," or something.They certainly appear to have been transformed from normal beings to efficientmembers of the Forces in the twinkling of an eye. They tefi us ghastlystories about " the first six months or so are the worst," and come out withqueer words which we have never before heard and which, maybe, our motherswouldn't like us to hear. All this makes us wonder whether life at School isquite as bad as it may at first appear." Comme d' habitude" we have a good selection of quaint characters in theform. There is, of course, the " communist clarionetist," and the eccentricprospective clergyman, who is the main source of amusement in the form.Quite a few religious fanatics, who denounce each other in the most violentmanner, and lastly, and" let it be whispered only, we strongly suspect thePrefects' Room of forming an " Amour group." This latter is, of course,strictly on the secret list.In conclusion, may we express the hope that the form enjoys to the full theannual Christmas Dance, and wish you all a Very Happy Christmas and aProsperous New Year.

V SCIENCE.Captain : E. N. Rodman Vice-Captain : R. J. DaySo far this term we have been unable to play any form matches, owing toweather conditions. There seems to be quite an athletic element in the form,several of the boys being representatives of the School 2nd XI and Colts foot-ball teams, also on the 1st and 2nd lacrosse teams. The house football andlacrosse teams also have representatives in the form. Berry, Evans, Lawrence,and Tonge are to be congratulated on winning the 5th form swimming relayat Stockport Baths.The School play created considerable interest, five of the form taking an activepart in the play and four others worked behind the scenes. Several of thevarious societies also have keen supporters among the form. The Schoolchoir, orchestra, and the A.T.C. are represented in the form.There will be about 12 boys going with the School party to Switzerland forthe winter sports, and we are looking forward to the trip with great eagerness.Several boys are looking forward to their debut at the School Dance.

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V LITERARY.Captain : F. G. C. Atkinson. Vice-Captain : D. J. SmithAlthough inclement weather and wise counsel from Mr. Beckwith haveprevented us from partaking of a wallow in the mud, we own a very strongteam, whom we uphold against all comers. So strong is it that no less thanseven of its members play for one School team or another. We have Goalenon the first, two people on the second, and four on the third.We have a fine swimming side, who have met with misfortune up to now,in spite of the masterful ways of Barton, who swims for the School.We are well represented in the indoor activities of the School. For instance,we had six exponents of Sophocles in the play this year, four of whom weremade to look terribly emaciated, and so would have made good advertisementsfor our present-day diet. Several hope to visit Switzerland for some wintersport, but to some ski-ing—when pronounced correctly—will be hardly anovelty. Besides a form choir, whose repertoire is limited to mournful songsof lovelorn youth, we have a number of orators, who hold various meetingsabout the precincts of the School, for whom Wiseman carries round a littlecollecting hat.We were sorry, and not a little surprised, to bid farewell to " Tiny " Hall,whose vast chest and boxing ability have long been the pride of the School.The form feel proud to say that the detention sheet for V Lit. remained cleanuntil one fortnight after half-term, and we intend to write to the Daily Mailto ask if this is a record.We conclude our termly epistle by wishing our schoolmates a Merry Yuletideand a Happy New Year.

REMOVE.Captain : D. W. G. Macdonald. Vice-Captain : H. S. BellamyWe have had few football matches, although Thorpe and Leahy are on theSchool 2nd, but we are very keen on swimming, owing to the influence ofBellamy, probably the best swimmer in the School. Also there is muchenthusiasm for lacrosse and we have nine boys on the School lacrosse teamMost of the form play for their houses either at football or lacrosse. Thereis also very keen following of the M.C.C. team in their South African tour.We enjoy Mr. Davies's lessons in English and Mr. Horn's in Scripture.No less than twelve boys have determined to take this latter subject in theS.C. exam.At the beginning of this term Park left us. He wishes to be a farmer andemigrate eventually. Parkin also wants to be a farmer and spends muchof his holidays at a farm at Disley. A course at an agricultural college isintended for him. A new boy, Watson, replaces Park. Hodges is a con-jurer and a member of a club for such folk. A large number of the formsupport the various youth organisations. Holmes and Pollard intend to visitSwitzerland for the winter sports during the Christmas holidays. The wholeform were well represented in " Oedipus," either in the cast or as stage staff.

IV A.Captain : C. F. Wyatt. Vice-Captain : T. D. FiggThe form football team has won only one of its three matches against 4B.In swimming we have done rather better. Figg and Thornber are our bestchampions. Thornber and Adams have taken up badminton. There isalso a form cycling club, which has already taken trips to Nether Peover andRingway. Potato picking has taken others out of doors.C. D. Baker is in the senior section of the School chess team; Allport,Thornber and Hughes also play. Nixon and Stamper have shown how aform magazine can be produced. The form is quite musical with three inthe choir and four violinists in the orchestra, but manual is our principalchoice amongst the arts and crafts.

4B.Captain : S. B. Berry. Vice-Captain : F. R. BellingallJevons has been selected as football captain, with Shepherd as vice-captain.Berry captains the Colts "B" team, and Hall, Honey, Brimelow and Whiteplay for the "A" Colts team. Cheadle and Honey are goalies for their respec-tive sides. Bellingall is on the 1st XII lacrosse team, whilst Forth captains

Twenty-three

the under 15's, and Birtles plays. Our first football team has beaten 4Atwice in three games, so that we consider ourselves quite good at athleticsgenerally. Hall, Miller and Honey call themselves bird-watchers, and havecamped at New Mills for this purpose.We feel sorry for Bruton, who has been away ill for a long tune with rheu-matic fever. We hope he will soon get better and come back to us. Therehas been a form cycle ride to Buxton, via Long Hill. Forth and Cresswellcollect engine records.

3A.Captain : A. K. Butterworth. Vice-Captain : M. R. WoottonIn Wednesday games we have beaten 3B every time. About 14 of us are onthe House 3rds, as we are not old enough for the 2nd. Three of us play forthe Colts 2nd team, and Dunmpre once played for the Colts 1st. Two playfor the Lacrosse Colts. In swimming, with Dunmore as captain, we oncebeat 3B. About two dozen of us go to the baths on Wednesdays.Chess is quite popular; Blamphin and Baker (A.) being on the Junior team.Walton has won a first prize for composition at the Macclesfield Music Festival.In the School play Brooks was a daughter of Oedipus. Carter, Little andGilbert attend speedway meetings.

3B.Captain : J. B. Smith Vice-Captain : G. F. BurnsThere has been no serious athletic rivalry with 3A, but we have lost twice tothem with scratch teams. In the swimming relays against the same formwe won one and lost one. Smith, J. B. and Burns are in the Colts "B" team,Smith, D. B. and Bourne play on their house seconds for East, and threeothers, Rakestraw, Pilsbury and Potts, play for the Colts Lacrosse team.There is considerable keenness in swimming.Williamson, Tyldesley and Bourne are in the Junior Chess team. Bourne islearning to become a bugler in the Marple Church Lads' Brigade. Brandtmade a lovely girl as daughter to Oedipus. Fox is a dancer. Jones has had asprained ankle for several weeks. Hammond has won a certificate for actingjuvenile parts at Onward Hall, Manchester, the judge being Dr. Elliot.The best letter report so far has been obtained by Smith, J. B.

2 LATIN.Captain : G. R. Crowther. Vice-Captain : A. KnightWe have had games against 2 German, and also play form games on Tuesdayafternoon amongst ourselves. A handball team is being collected. Our boysalso form part of the mass movement to the baths on Wednesdays. Mr.Hardie comes with us, once we were helped by Mr. Barnes, a lovely swimmer.West and North House boys go on Fridays.Gribbin plays for 2nd XII Lacrosse and Brooks and Arundale for the Colts"B" team. Four have played for their house 3rds. We have six in the ChessClub, five in the Stamp Club, and two each in the Railway Club and Artsand Crafts Society. Eighteen of us went potato-picking at Hague's Farm,Hazel Grove. In the School play Birks was the first girl suppliant and helooked very nice.

2 GERMAN.Captain : K. S. Anderson Vice-Captain : B. E. OakesWe have beaten 3B at football, and against 2L have won one match" and lostone. At swimming we have done still better, beating 2X twice and 2L once.Gregory has won an open breast-stroke competition at Stockport Baths,and Inchley and Dearnaley have each won medals in the School swimmingsports. Nine boys are in their House 3rd XI, the leading goal scorers beingGerrard for East and Hutchfield for South. Chess is also very popular withus, eight supporting the Junior Chess Club. There are also six in the RailwayClub, but Garnett is the sole member of the Stamp Club, but he is very keenindeed, with a fine collection. Three boys, Brierley, Bailey, R. J. and Graham,are learning the violin, whilst Darrah learns the oboe and singing;McClymont plays the drums.Gerrard was playing football at Reddish a little time ago when he was chargedinto a puddle. There must have been some glass in it, because he had to havethree stitches in the place where he sat down. Twelve boys have assisted inpotato-picking.

Twenty-four

IIX.Captain : J. P. Cheslett Vice-Captain : J. F. B. OldhamSo far this term we have played only one football match, and 2L were worthyvictors. Wilson is our football captain and both he and Cheslett have playedfor the Colts "B" XI.We welcome two new boys to School, Hollings and Beswick.Norcross plays second violin in the School orchestra, and six boys are in thechoir. Other School societies are popular with the form. Seven boys aremembers of the Che^ Club ; three in the Stamp Club and Railway Club.Our swimming team has not been successful so far, but Oldham has beenthe under 12 swimming champion.Rose managed to get all " A's " for one of his fortnightly reports and wascongratulated by the Headmaster.We were sorry we could not see the School play, especially as one of our form,Wilson, was taking part.

1A.Captain : Hopkinson Vice-Captain : WynessThe form football team has played two matches, against IB under its captain,Johnson, and vice-captain, Hay. After being defeated by 2 goals to nil wesucceeded in defeating IB by 4 goals to 3 in the second encounter. Anothermatch is now keenly awaited. The form also has a swimming team, with Greenfor captain and Wyness as his vice-captain. In this field of sport we againchallenged IB and, after a dead-heat in the first match, we defeated our oppo-nents in the second. Some members of our form play lacrosse and one ortwo have played for a junior team.

IB.Captain : C. G. Stubbs Vice-Captain : K. H. LeighWe feel very pleased with our efforts this term. The twelve new boys tothe School who are in our form have settled down well.A hearty welcome awaits Dickson, D. A., from JA, who joins us next term.The form football XI is holding its own under the captaincy of Stubbs, andwe hope to arrange a match against IIX. In fact, we feel very confident ofthe result.Lawrence plays for the Colts Lacrosse team; that is when he is not writinghis long essays. Whitehead and Stubbs are in the choir and some of us areprogressing well with the violin and piano.Assioun and Clarke are the reigning swimming champions in the age 10 and 11groups respectively.

JUNIOR SCHOOL.JA. JB. JC.

Captain : P. K. Boden J. S. Yerrell D. A. G. ColemanVice-Captain : J. C. Case G. P. Turner K. SiddleWe take this opportunity to welcome all the new boys in JC. We thinkthey have settled down very well, and are very happy in the School. Weare grateful to Mrs. Johnston, who has worked so unsparingly and successfullywith them during Mrs. Davies's absence.One of the most important entries in our time-table is " Games," but we havesuffered much from the weather. JC have been very unfortunate in thisconnection. We hope to finish all our house matches before the end of theterm, however. In the two games played the results were : South 4, West 1 ;North 2, East 0. The house football captains are : North, Hackney; South,Case ; East, Gollings ; West, Body. The School football captain is Garnham,and the vice-captain Case. After a little more practice we shall arrangefixtures with other schools.We are very glad that the " Cabbage Patch " is still available to us hi the" break " and during dinner-hour. Without it we should find it difficultto indulge in our many and varied activities, the latest of which is the formationof a " Flying Squad," which is ready at a moment's notice to " swing intoaction." All would-be malefactors, Beware!

Twenty-five

We have many Stamps and Railway enthusiasts, and, strangely enough, somewho have developed die urge to collect cigarette packets. We doubt, however,whether this has resulted in any appreciable increase in smoking by parents'We are looking forward to our Christmas Party, and are busy preparing for it.

JA.We are very glad that we can go to the Baths on Wednesday afternoons andtake part in the swimming championships. Our swimming captain is Crosbyand vice-captain, Dickson. *King and Woodward have had all " A's " on two occasions this term.We are interested in watching the progress of the new building, but we aresorry to see our trees cut down.Crosby and Goddard have very kindly lent us several copies of the NationalGeographic Magazine, and we enjoy reading them.We were all grieved to hear of Prusmann's serious illness, and are glad to knowihat he is out of the Infirmary and making good progress.

JB.Eight of us are rehearsing a play taken from " Alice Through the Looking-glass," for the Christmas Party. We are looking forward to the party, whichis to be held early in December. The Junior School library has been enlargedthis term by gifts of books from generous boys in our form. Others havebrought pictures and coloured maps to decorate the form-room walls. Someof us have stars for dictation, and Yerrell and Townsend have signed the" Excellent" book for three pieces of excellent work. We are excited, butsorry, to hear that Birchenough is emigrating to South Africa, and we wishhim good luck and every happiness in his new home.We have enjoyed watching the new building grow, but were sorry the two tallpoplars had to be felled.Several of us play in our house football teams, but we have not been luckywith the weather for our usual Friday football.

JC.We like our room, because the pictures on the wall make it nice. We havedictation, English, writing, arithmetic and poetry. We have art, too. Wehave drawn a lot of lovely things. Mrs. Johnston is our form mistress. Wehave pipes around our desks to keep us warm through the winter and desks ofour own. We nearly all write in ink now. We are having a play about the" Baker's Dozen." Tommy Gare is the baker, David Morgan, the miller,and Tom Bowden, the farmer, and we haven't decided about the King yet.It is for pur Christmas Party. It is going to be fun ; Mr. Johnston is coming.We all like football. Humpage, Gare, Siddle, Lansbury, Whalley, Colemanand Shaw have all played for their houses.

P.K.B. J.S.Y. D.A.G.C.J.C.C. G.P.T. K.S.

550 SQUADRON, A.T.C.Memories of this year's training camp at St. Athan were awakened at the firstPhysical Training Class of the term. The fierce heat of the sun and the fiercerheat of our P.T.I, came back again, and found us looking forward to next year'ssummer camp.The results of the Proficiency Examination held last May came just in time forthe four successful candidates (L/Cds. Ellis, Lees, Turner K. F., and Walton)to wear their " props " at St. Athan. They have our belated congratulations.We hope that by Christmas there will be three members of the Squadronwith post-proficiency certificates, the first in our history. 550 Squadronwere represented by Sgt. Holloway and L/Cdt. Ellis at a three-day specialcamp in August at Halton, where they were inspected by Marshal Lord Tedder.Halton will again see us at Easter, when ten of us have entered for the G.C.T.course. The absence of any recent opportunities for flying may accountfor this enthusiasm for Grand Combat Training. Flying conditions will bebetter in the spring.

Twenty-six

The A.T.C. rule which prohibits the wearing of uniform until after the pro-bational period of three months' training, accounts for some of the Squadronbeing in civilian dress in the Hallam Hall on Remembrance Day. The previousSunday morning N.C.O.s and Leading Cadets were present in uniform,accompanied by Flying-Officer Beckwith, at a Remembrance Service held inSt. George's Church.The Squadron thanks its officers, whose persistent hard work makes our paradesso enjoyable. The N.C.O.s for this term have been Flt.-Sgt. Hankinson,Sgts. Holloway, Griffiths, Brooks, and Cpl. Forth.

A FOREIGNER'S NIGHTMARE.You speak of a brother, if more, then of brethren,But more than one mother is never called methren.Start with a fox, you have to say foxes,Yet an ox plus an ox is never called oxes.Only one man, but a whole set of men,Should more than one pan be ever called pen ?The singular " that " and the plural is " those,"But the plural of cat is cats and not cose.One is a foot and a pair must be feet,Their coverings, of course, are boots and not beet.You may still have a drink, perhaps even get drunk,A thought you can think, but never have thunk.A singular mouse, but a houseful of mice,Should more than one house be ever called hice ?Only one tooth, but your dentures are teeth,Yet booth upon booth is never called beeth.The plural of cow can be cows or else kine,But a brow if repeated is never called brine.The singular " this " and the plural is " these,"Should one kiss or more be thought of as kese ?Soldiers can fight, a battle is fought,A pipe you may light but never have lought.So your mother tongue, I hope you'll agree,Is hard work for strangers, or so thinketh me.

" C."

SCHOOL 1st XI FOOTBALL.Moderately good weather has allowed us to complete most of our fixtures,only two having to be cancelled on account of the half-term holidays, and onefor bad weather.Our record to date is :

P. W. D. L. F. A.8 4 2 2 27 20

v. New Mills (away). Won 3—0. (Phillips, Lockett, Dencer.)The first match of the season, and a very easy win. With a largely experi-mental side, School were never troubled and goalkeeper Roscoe coped con-fidentally with any loose balls which happened to trickle his way. Playingdownhill for the first half, the School attackers easily wandered through theNew Mills defence, condescending every now and then to break into a trot.Phillips' goal was taken from centre-forward, Lockett's pass (who, strange tosay, was somewhere near the corner flag) was a full volley into the corner ofthe net. Both Lockett's and Dencer's goals were brought about by quickthinking and straight hard shooting.v. Stretford (home). Draw 3—3.This was a match we should have won, but our moderately light forwardswere no match against the heavyweights employed by Stretford. Dimi-nutive Goalen did well against this heavy defence, scoring two fine goals.The other scorer was Dencer.

Twenty-seven

v. Urmston (home). Won 2—1. (Dencer 2.)Another win for School. Dencer and Lockett interchanging forward berthsresulted very much in an improved attack. Dencer's great speed enabledhim twice to break away and score.v. Wanington (home). Lost 4—5.The first defeat of the season and a match best forgotten. Though weakenedin defence and Warrington having an exceptionally good forward line, therewas no excuse for the aimless wanderings of the full backs and half backs.The forwards played well, as is shown by their obtaining four goals.v. Stockpon School (away). Drawn 2—2.It has never been the policy of a Stockport Grammar School boy to questionthe decision of a referee or linesman, so the less said about this game thebetter. Credit to the boys for holding their opponents to a draw and com-pensation to them for the win we are sure to obtain when playing at home.v. Manchester Central (home). Lost 5—6. (Clarke 2, Grant, Goalen, Campbell.)A little stiff after three weeks' absence from the game, School immediatelytore into the attack, and were soon two up from goals brilliantly taken byGrant and Goalen. Then a fine head by Grant gave Clarke a golden chance,and a left-foot shot put School up 3—2.A shaky defence, with the exception of pivot Lockett, conceded another goal.A fine shot by winger Campbell again gave School the lead. The Manchesterboys again scored, and Clarke gave School the lead yet again. Two goals byManchester in the closing stages of the match gave them victory. A drawwould have been a better result in this exciting match.v. Chadderton (home). Won 4—1. (Grant 2, Dencer, Chambers.)Probably the best game we have played in conditions which were literallyappalling. The School attack and defence combined brilliantly. The thickmud and deep pools did not worry our small attack, and this kind of weatherthe defence revelled in. The wing halves pivoted smoothly round the finestopper, centre-half Lockett, and it was a real pleasure to see them movingthe ball up to their inside forwards. The quick, almost deadly, tacklingnever gave our opponents a chance to settle down. Our ability to move theheavy ball brought its just reward.v. Altrincham (home). Won 4—2. (Grant, Dencer, Campbell, Opponent.)Again played in muddy conditions. School defence took time to settle downagainst a fast-moving Altrincham attack. Fortunately Lockett was again onhis top form and we sustained this early attack. Gradually our superioritybegan to exert itself and hard keen tackling broke the spirit of the Altrinchamattack.Again we are indebted to Mr. Beckwith, Mr. Perry and Mr. Johnston fortheir support and encouragement. To our supporters we offer our thanksfor the verbal encouragement which they have given us.

P.L.C.THE PLAYERS.

P. L. CLARKE (Captain), L.B. A sturdy defender, kicks strongly, tackleskeenly, and is not afraid to use his weight, has a good sense of position, anduses his head to advantage. As captain has been most encouraging to theplayers and has displayed a~useful knowledge of the game on and off the field.T. R. LOCKETT (Vice-Captain), C.H.B. Since taking up this position andchanging from centre-forward he has developed into a very sound and reliablefootballer. A two-footed player, fast into the tackle and quick in recovery,has dominated the centre of the field and considerably strengthened the team.K. ROSCOE, G. A custodian with a safe pair of hands and a good sense ofanticipation, though he has been caught out on the wrong side of his goalrecently. Has made some first-class saves, but there are occasions when hecould be more serious. As secretary he has done a very good job of work.A. J. NUTTALL, R.B. A player who has very steadily improved, is nowusing his head and saving his legs. Kicks strongly, but must use his left footmore; never shirks a tackle and is quick off the mark.

Twenty-eight

D. CHAMBERS, R.H.B. Since being allowed to keep one position has playedvery well, works hard throughout the game, never gives up trying, and is nowmoving up with the attack satisfactorily; with improvement in distributionof the ball, will develop into a first-rate half-back.I. FOX, L.H.B. Another hardworking half-back, who is developing on theright lines. Is very fast and kicks hard, particularly with left foot. A bustlingtype of player; must consider careful placing of ball when on the attack.G. CAMPBELL, O.R. Recently promoted from the second eleven ; showspromise and is gaining sufficient confidence to beat his man and make straightfor goal when the occasion arises. Can use either foot and makes good useof the cross-pass with the left foot. Must practise corner-kicking.R. PHILLIPS, I.R. An inside forward, small but fast, and is now playingmore intelligently, coming back to pick up the loose ball from the defence andswinging the ball over to opposite wing. Has not had much luck with hisshooting, but is not afraid to have a go.B. P. DENCER, C.F. A hundred per cent, trier ; works hard in any position,but has found difficulty in settling down to the centre berth. Has scoredsome good goals, using his speed to advantage; tends, however, to overdothe dribbling, and is then forced too far over to the wings. Good with hishead and uses his height well.M. J. C. GRANT, I.L. Since promoted to the first eleven has greatly im-proved and is now one of the mainstays of the attack, holding the line welltogether. Although quite light is clever with the ball and has producedrecently some good first-time shots. Must not overdo the short pass.K. GOALEN, O.L. A neat, clever footballer, in spite of lack of incheskeeps out of trouble and gives most full-backs an uncomfortable time. Playsthoughtfully, centreing the ball timely and accurately, and is usually on theright spot when a shot is required.D. A. COCKERILL, L.H.B. A hard worker, full of energy, quick in thetackle and improving with his head. Must pay more attention to accuratedistribution of the ball.R. F. ATKINSON, O.R. A player who possesses the answers, but is verymuch out of form this season and, as a result, lacks initiative. Should bemore energetic and use his speed and height more.This season's team, though successful, has taken a long time to settle down,due in no small measure to continual changes in the half-back line to find theright players. The defence is safe, fast and strong. Flashes of clevercombined play have been seen in recent matches, due to the improvement ininside forwards and half-backs.Still further thought must be given to tactics and a better understanding ofpositional play, placing of the ball in the open spaces and anticipation of same.

W.D.B.

— Goals —For Against24 22

Scorers :Caine (3), Opponent (1)Grant (1)Fisher (2), Caine (1),

Haworth (1)Aiken (1), Caine (1)Atkinson R. F. (1), Aiken

(1), Fisher (1), Caine (1)Fox (2), Aiken ( 1 ), Atkin-

kinson (1), Caine (1)Ellis (1), Atkinson (2)Caine (2)

Oct.

* * *

2nd XL

2 — Home6 — Away9— Home

Played Won8 4

: v. New Mills: v. Stretford: v. Heaton Moor

Drawn1

Lost3

Result :W 4—2L 2—1W 4—3

16—Away : v. Warrington L 4—220—Home : v. Stockport School W 4—1

30 — Home : v. Heaton Moor W 5—2

Nov. 10—Away : v. Manchester Central D 2—2„ 13—Away : v. Chadderton L 6—2

Twenty-nine

Goal scorers : Caine (9), Atkinson (3), Aiken (3), Fisher (3), Fox (2), Ellis (1),Grant (1), Haworth (1).The following have played for the team : Atkinson, Haworth, Caine, Oldham,Fisher, Aiken, Burt, Ellis, Campbell, Macrae, Atkinson (R. F.), Massey,Leahy, Shepherd, Grant, Phillips, Parker, Fox, Cannon, Cockerill, Stubbs,Hall (J- E.), Thorpe.The 2nd XI so tar this season has done much better than last. This is mainlydue to the greater number of players available to pick from, and to new,promising players found by Mr. Norris. Although possessing no individualstars, the team is combining very well; this was paticularly noticeable in thematch against Stockport School when School played really fine football.The big defeat against Chadderton was due to the very bad pitch, to which ouropponents were accustomed. Lastly I should like to thank Mr. Norris forhis invaluable work in training the team.

J. C. CANNON.

COLTS FOOTBALL, 1948.« A " AND « B " TEAMS.

What an amazing start to this football season has been made by the Colts "A"team. Not a defeat up to date, and goals by the dozen.The team has been fortunate in keeping seven of last year's players and thefour new players have fitted into the team very well. The football has beengood, sporty, up-to-the-minute playing.Below is a list of games to date.Colts v. New Mills Home Won 12—1Colts v. Heaton Moor College Home Won 14—0Colts v. Warrington Home Won 7—0Colts v. Stockport School Home Draw 4—4Colts v. Heaton Moor Home Won 11—1Colts v. Manchester Central Home Won 16—2Colts v. Chadderton Home Won 5—1Colts v. Altrincham Away Won 15—084 goals scored, against our opponents 9 goals.This season we have played teams of varying sizes, at times smaller, but mostlyboys of our own size or larger. The scoring has been great, and mainly dueto a well-balanced team, which plays just as hard in the last few seconds of thegame as at the start. Every player in the team is an attacker.The experiment of a Colts " B " team has been tried again this season, andsome very useful players are being prepared to step right into the Colts "A"team ; so we should be able to maintain a high standard of football.This team has had a number of games this season and are meeting with theirshare of success. Some of the outstanding players are: Cheadle (goal),Farnworth (full-back), Berry (captain), Burns and Smith, J. B. (half-backs),Wooton and Gerrard, P. (inside forwards); other members of this team, Cheslett,Brooks, Dunmore, Jenkins, Walton, Wilson and many others, are good foot-ballers and will develop. One criticism I make of some of these players is thatbeing in detention on Saturday afternoons is of no use to the teams, nor arethey likely to learn any football in detention. Make a real effort to keep out.

THE PLAYERS.Goalkeeper : HONEY. Has the making of a really good "keeper, but mustlearn to get out to the ball with more certainty and to kick the ball up the fieldnot so much out of play.Right Full-back : STUBBS. Good work, Stubbs. In this position you havedropped into the team beautifully. Use your head a little more to the highballs.

Thirty

Left full-back : BARTOlsf. A good, steady full-back, with a nice kick ineither foot. Mark your man a little closer, particularly at the throw-in.Right Half-back : HALL. A steady half-back, who is settling down. Tryto open the game out better by some longer passes down the wing.Centre Half-back : WYATT. One of the best half-backs in the team for afew years. Tackles well and clears his lines beautifully. Try to get the ballout to the wings occasionally as well as up the middle.Left Half-back : WHITE. By far the strongest half-back in the team; workshard the whole of the game and his whig passes are delightful; apt to hold onto the ball a little too long at times.Right Outside : PATTINSON. A very good winger on his good days. Canreally get along with the ball and is useful with either foot. On his off dayis apt to run away from the defence. Remember to get into the ball everytime, and don't hang back.Right Inside : REEMAN. Developing rapidly into a really good forward,dangerous in front of goal, and looks after his wingman very well. Apt tokick weakly sometimes when passing to his other forwards.Centre Forward : DUROSE. A real centre-forward with a cannon ball shotin either foot and a fast turn of speed. Some heading practice required to makehim an exceptionally good schoolboy centre-forward.Left Inside : SMITH (Captain). The schemer of the forward line and easilythe hardest worker. Places his shots to goal in a way that is nice to see. Tryto get your passes to the outside man. Has been a popular and very goodcaptain of the team.Left Outside : BRIMELOW. A much-improved wing forward. Worksreally hard for the ball at times, centres well and has a very good shot. Tryto cure the fault of centring behind your other forwards when using yourright foot.Many thanks to all who have made up the Colts "A" and " B " teams. Yourteam spirit is excellent and it has been a real pleasure to be connected withthe teams.Thanks also to Mr. Davis for his help, and to other masters who have kindlyaccompanied teams for away games.

E.B.A * *

SCHOOL FIVES.Fives is once again coming into its own. The supply of balls is now just suffi-cient to cover the needs of all fixtures and house games. Two School matcheshave been played already this term and two more will be played after going topress.At the end of last term School colours were awarded to Shepherd, Adams,Cannon, Phillips R., Philbin and Fogg. Cannon was appointed secretary.The School Sports Committee decided to change the grading system in theHouse Fives Competition for the Thompson Cup. Instead of the under 15and under 13 grades, under 16 and under fourth form grades were substituted.Results to date:v. Macclesfield King's School (away) Lost 4—0v. Dalton Hall (away) Lost 3—1We hope that these two defeats, though admittedly deserved, are not a trueindication of the team's ability.At Macclesfield, School were represented by Shepherd, Macrae; and Potts,Exley, the team being weakened by competition with the football XIs. Thecourts there are four-wall Rugby courts and rather smaller than regulationsize. School fought pluckily against the skill and force of the Macclesfieldplay, and this rather young team gained valuable experience.At Dalton Hall, Cannon, Phillips R., and Shepherd, Caine were the Schoolteam. The court was an indoor four-wall Winchester court (with an obliquebuttress one-third the way down the left-hand wall) with very smooth, fast

Thirty-onq

Walls and floor. The Cannon-Phillips partnership did not work with itsusual vivacity and assurance. They were overwhelmed in three games(6—15, 9—15, 3—15) by the very powerful Hall first pair. Shepherd andCaine had little difficulty in beating the Hall's weaker and less-experiencedsecond pair (15—6, 15—7, 15—12). Against the first pair, however, thesetwo were completely dominated in the first two games. (2—15, 1—15, 10—15).Cannon and Phillips lost the last set.Both matches were exciting and invaluable as experience. The other twofixtures to be played this term are, v. Hulme Hall and Manchester University,both away.There are a number of boys in the School at the moment who, with the helpof practice, will soon be fit for the team. Caine and Exley have shown keennessand promise.

R.H.S.* » *

SWIMMING.The Swimming Sports last July were remarkable for two things : the veryclose nature of the House competition, for South won from West only as aresult of the last squadron race; and the Beginners' Races, which provedhighly successful.The greater number of boys taking part was largely the result of practice atthe Stockport Baths on Wednesday afternoons and Friday evenings afterschool during the previous winter and spring. Many boys learned to swimand dive, and it is hoped that full use will be made of the similar opportu-nities that are offered this winter. It is encouraging that, even since this termbegan, several boys have learned to swim. Mr. Norris and North Houseare to be congratulated on the very effective scheme they have introducedby which older boys in the House instruct the learners. Other Houses arefollowing North's lead.On two recent Wednesdays there have been inter-form squadron races, forwhich IIG and VR have so far produced the most outstanding teams.Another innovation is the School Championship Competition. This takesplace on any Wednesday afternoon on which all School games and matchesare cancelled. At the time of writing the School champions in each agegroup are: Assioun (10 and under, IB, South), Clarke (11, IB, North)Oldham (12, IIG, North), Dunmore (13, IIIA, South), Berry, S. (14, IVB,West), Bellamy (15, VR, North), Voss (16, VIMi, East), Nuttall (17 and over,VIMii, West).The improvement in the standard of School swimming has been such thatit has been possible to match teams against other schools. Last summerBellamy, Dearnaley, Macrae and Nuttall made a very creditable showing inthe Urwick cup competition at Stretford. The standard of squadron racingamong the many competing schools was extremely high, and our young team,though beaten, swam very gamely, and gained valuable match experience.Soon we are taking a team of about twenty boys to swim against Bolton Schoolin their bath. The events will be free-style, breast-stroke and back-strokeraces in both the open and under 15 grades, neat dive and long plunge in theopen grade, and open and under 15 squadron races. It is hoped that Nuttall,who has proved a very keen and efficient swimming captain, and his teamwill have an enjoyable and successful match. All have been practising verykeenly.We wish to extend our best thanks to Mr. Dunckley and his staff at the Stock-port Baths for the facilities for practice they have so readily offered. Inaddition, Mr. Dunckley has been kind enough to afford us much appreciatedadvice on the finer points of starting, swimming and diving.Mr. Barnes, who was a member of the School staff for a few weeks at thebeginning of term, is not only a remarkably fine swimmer, but an equallyfine instructor, and while we are very sorry that his stay with us was so short,we are extremely glad that we enjoyed the benefit of his enthusiastic exampleand instruction, even for so brief a time.We are also very grateful for Mr. Dinsdale's help, and for that of Mr. Beckwith,who has come down to the baths whenever football has not claimed his time.

J.G.G.; W.H.H.

Thirty-two

FtEJM

for the . . .

<*><*>

nnn

BLAZERS (with Badge)

TIES : SILK SQUARES

SLEEVELESS SLIP-OVER, Grey, White

SWEATERS (Cable Stitch)

COAT OF ARMS (on Oak Shield)

nnn

Tel. STOckport 2890.

Thirty-three

LACROSSE.This season the School team entered the Fourth Division of the North

of England Lacrosse Association for the first time. Although playing olderand more experienced players, the team has shown itself equal to many of theopposing clubs. There has been a great improvement in all parts of the team,particularly in the defence, which always plays a worthy game.The results so far this season are:—

Played Won Lost Drawn For Against5 2 2 1 34 46

v. Disley "A". September 25. Lost 4—19.The first match of the season took us to Disley to play a team lately relegatedfrom the Third Division. Even this, the first match of the season, revealedconsiderable promise both in the attack and the defence. Macdonald startedthe season well by scoring three good goals and Rodman was outstanding inthe defence, against a very difficult opponent. Swann, a rather erratic goal-keeper, played a good game, too.v. Heaton Mersey "B". October 2. Won 17—1.Heaton Mersey had a greatly weakened side, due to injuries, and the Schoolteam had little difficulty in amassing a great number of goals. Evans, thecaptain of the second team, handled well and scored four goals. Most of theother attack players scored. Large, a defence player, did a dazzling run downthe wing and finished it off with a net-breaking shot.v. Cheadle "A". October 9. Lost 4—19.School had little chance of keeping the scores level when playing one of thestrongest teams in the Division. Yet the second half showed a considerableimprovement, when all of the four goals were scored.v. Rochdale "A". October 16. Draw 5—5.This match was played under trying conditions. Rochdale's ground lies in ahollow, and in consequence of rain during the previous days, it1 was almostflooded. On this treacherous surface School had difficulty in keeping theirfeet, and the standard of play was lowered. The last quarter proved themost exciting when, with the score at five all, School put on pressure in anattempt to score the winning goal. Yet bad luck and vigorous play by ouropponents prevented our doing so, and the match finished with a draw.Macdonald had a good day.v. Heaton Mersey Guild "A". November 13. Won 4—3.The School team struck their best form when playing Mersey Guild at home.The score does not do justice to the superiority of the School team, who hadby far most of the play. Mersey Guild succeeded in keeping the score downby crowding the goal. Everyone on the attack handled well, and generouspassing gave it much more shape and balance than it has had in previousweeks.Other matches played this term are :—v. Manchester Grammar School 1st. Lost 10—0.v. Manchester University "A". Lost 11—1.The School had a practice match against the Old Boys on the first Saturdayof the term, losing an enjoyable game by eleven goals to five. New recruitsfrom any part of the School are always welcome.

SCHOOL TENNIS.With a glorious record, our Lawn Tennis Six, Champions of Northern Englandand All Scotland, travelled up to London with high hopes and good prospectsof winning the Glanville Cup.Although finishing third in the finals, it is indeed a great achievement forthese boys. The winners, Stowe Grammar School, confessed they have apermanent tennis coach. This was also the case of the team who came second.It is obvious that tennis is, like cricket, a game that must be taught in practiceand cannot be learnt from a book. It is essential that if we are to win theGlanville Cup in our third year of entry, we must have further coaching.

P.Li»v«.Thirty-four

OLD STOPFORDIANS* ASSOCIATION.President : William Gibbons, Esq., 1 Elmfield Road, Davenport, Stockport.Hon. Secretary : Carl Ransford Gardner, Esq., Coniston, Wellfield Road,

Stockport (Telephone Great Moor 3717).Hon. Treasurer : J. Stuart Southworth, Esq., Samlesbury, Davenport Park,

Stockport (Telephone Great Moor 3494).Subscription : 5s. a year or £3 for Life.

ASSOCIATION BALL, JANUARY 14, 1949.Many a time an Old Boy or even a non-member comes up and says: "Look here,when are you going to have another dance at the Town Hall ? Do you know,they were the chief event of the season, and ever since I've been demobbed,I've been looking forward to one; so what about it ? "We have done something about it, and on Friday, January 14, 1949, we aregoing to hold a Ball at the Town Hall, which will be at least on a level withthe pre-war events. Nothing has been left to chance to ensure a happy,carefree evening, and there will be dancing until 2 a.m., a licensed bar, refresh-ments, and Sid Lewis's well-known band.We want the fullest support from Old Boys and their friends, including non-members, of course. Most of us will already know each other, but pleasemake the affair extra sociable by bringing a party if you can. There will be areception from 8 p.m. to 8-30 p.m. by the President and Mrs. Gibbons andWing-Commander H. J. Hulbert, M.P., and Dr. Pearl Hulbert. Dancingwill be from 8-30 p.m. to 2 a.m.Tickets are now on sale and are available, price 10s. 6d., including refreshments,from:The Hon. Secretary.Flemings, Underbank, Stockport.Mclntyre's, 26 Deansgate, Manchester.Stockport Express Office.Stockport Advertiser Office.R. McCracken, 66 The Crescent, Davenport.I. M. Duncan, 35 Roxton Road, Heaton Chapel.C. Rakestraw, 26 Park Gates Drive, Cheadle Hulme.R. Caville, 8 Birchway, Bramhall.C. T. N. Briggs, 80 Greg Street, South Reddish.The School.The closing date will be Wednesday, January 12, 1949.

CHRISTMAS CARDS.We still have some Association Christmas Cards left. The badge is hi twocolours and the design is similar to last year's. We confidently recommendthese to Old Boys as being tasteful and at the same time very reasonable at

,6d. each, including envelope. They may be obtained from the Hon. Secretary,Fleming's, Underbank, or The School.

WAR MEMORIAL APPEAL.This appeal arises out of decisions taken at the Annual General Meeting onMarch 19, 1948, and the Special General Meeting on September 24, 1948.At the Annual General Meeting it was decided that a War Memorial be estab-lished as soon as possible. At the Special General Meeting many suggestionswere examined and finally the meeting decided by a majority vote that theMemorial be in the form of an adequate organ of good quality for the School.It is estimated that the cost will be about £5800, and it is expected that OldBoys, parents, and boys will amongst them have little difficulty in raising thissum.By the time these words appear in print you will, no doubt, have received acopy of the Appeal brochure, so nothing remains but for us to ask you tosupport it as generously and as promptly as you can. Please send yourdonation to the Hon. Treasurer.

Thirty-five

ANNIVERSARY DEBATE.The Literary and Debating Society will soon be holding its 500th meeting.Does this bring back thoughts of the past, of those fierce debates on whetherStockport is better than Manchester, or Literature is to be preferred to Science,with perhaps the opportunity to have one or two " digs " at the prefects ?Well, the 500th meeting will consist of a Joint Meeting with the Association,on the subject: " That things are not what they were." This is a delightfullywide motion and gives one the opportunity to work off or express all sorts ofinhibitions, phobias, complexes, manias, and grudges. We hope to see a goodmuster of Old Boys and would welcome volunteers to speak on either side ofthe motion.

OLD STOPFORDIANS' LODGE.The Lodge held its Ladies' Evening at the Masonic Guildhall on Friday,October 8, 1948, and a very successful evening it was, practically non-stopenjoyment from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m., with everything organised on a luxuriousscale. There was afternoon tea, a whist drive, dinner, dancing, entertain-ment, supper, and more dancing. All found it most enjoyable.This year's Worshipful Master, succeeding Stanley G. Hough, is CliffordRakestraw, the very popular Hon. Secretary of the Lacrosse Club, supportedby Thomas Allen and Eric Thorniley. Clifford will, no doubt, rule the Lodgewith a whimsical though efficient hand, and he has our best wishes fora successful term of office.

SOCIAL EVENING, NOVEMBER 11, 1948.These Social Evenings would be peculiar affairs to an outside observer. Theystart off with polite conversation over coffee and cakes, and finish up with afree-for-all fight. It's supposed to be a handball game really, but in actualpractice it's a free fight, where it is safer sometimes to be a combatant than aspectator.Our last Social Evening started with 30 hefty fellows running round a table,trying to avoid the furniture and each other and occasionally trying to grab abat off someone and hit a table-tennis ball with it. This game, we understand,is called " Progressive Ping-Pong." The idea seems to be that when mostof the participants have given up and sunk exhausted into chairs or on the floor,the two still able to stand get a prize.We all greatly enjoyed some musical items. R. B. L. Smith, who was one ofthe founders of the School Music Society, rendered pianoforte solos with hisaccustomed skill and also accompanied E. N. Bland, who sang to us. Blandhas a good light baritone voice and he chose an excellent programme of lightsongs. A. L. Wilkinson gave us a humorous monologue and Ian Duncanregaled us with some of his after-dinner stories.The proceedings terminated with the handball match, which was won bythe Football Club. Personal damage was about equal on each side.

PERSONALIA.Many Old Boys are now in H.M. Forces, and we wish them a happy period ofservice and a speedy return home. Amongst those in the Forces is DavidWetters, R.A.M.C., who has met quite a number of Old Boys in the Aldershotdistrict—C. H. Willcock, G. Bradley, both in R.A.M.C., G. D. Stringer,R. S. Kirkman, D. P. Adams and M. Treloar, in the R.A.O.C. Life in theArmy, says Wetters, is peculiar but endurable. Others are : M. Beeley, R.N.;G. Brierley, R.A.F. (Malta); T. V. Butterick, R.A.F.; G. A. Higginbotham,R.A.F., at Came, Wiltshire; D. H. Want, R.C. of S.We have had an interesting letter from Ken Royle, at Kuala Lumpur, Malaya,where he is acting manager of a branch of the Borneo Company. He is veryemphatic that the trouble there is neither locally inspired nor a national move-ment. There seems to be a connexion between the Malaya troubles and thepresence of a Russian Legation at Bangkok. Apart from these disturbanceslife in Malaya seems to be very pleasant and free from those shortages whichare so painfully numerous in Britain.

Thirty-six

Ken, who played for the School Lacrosse XII in 1927, would like to hear fromhis contemporaries.We hear that Roy Thompson, M.C. (Major, Parachute Regt.) has moved fromNigeria to Uganda, where is an Assistant District Commissioner. We wishhim every success in his new area.

AFTER THIRTY YEARS.The Hon. Secretary has received a letter from an Old Boy objecting to the factthat he has been reported killed in the War of 1914-1918. Unfortunatelythe Hon. Secretary has been quite unable to decipher the signature orthe address, so will the Old Boy kindly communicate again ?

THE MAGAZINE.Have you been missing The Stopfordian lately ? If so, it is generally a signthat your subscription is in arrears, so will you please send 5s. (for AnnualMembers) or 3s. (for Life Members) to the Hon. Treasurer.

CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE TO THE OLD STOPFORDIANS.I should like to use the Magazine as the medium by which to send Greetingsfor Christmas and New Year to Old Stopfordians at home and abroad.Through the centuries old boys must have enjoyed many more colourfulChristmas festivities than 1948 promises to provide : but if we must foregomuch of die sparkle and gaiety of those past years, at least we can carry forwardthe tradition of good fellowship and warm thoughts in our hearts.May no Old Stopfordian ever lack a good friend who will echo this old greet-ing, with sincerity underlying the familiar words—

"A HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR."

NEW MEMBERS.We welcome the following new members to the Association :

Adams, D.P., The Rectory, South Reddish, Stockport.Bennett, G. E., 291 Bramhall Lane, Stockport.Butterfield, D., 59 Kirkgate, Silsden, Keighley, Yorks.Cheadle, N. T., 16 Nevill Road, Bramhall.Cloughley, P. M., 42 Mersey Road, Heaton Mersey.Firth, P. J., 4 Crossfield Grove, Stockport.

LM Frankland, J. H., 35 Mile End Lane, Stockport.Cannon, D. E., Hollin Knowle, Chapel-en-le-Frith.Henley, R. W., 16 Matlock Road, Reddish.Hodgson, T. E., 13 Victoria Grove, Heaton Chapel, Stockport.Holliday, W. D., 18 Belgrave Crescent, Stockport.Holliday, P. A., 108 Woodsmoor Lane, Stockport.Jackson, W., 202 Reddish Road, Stockport.Kirkman, R. S., 88 Buckingham Road, Cheadle Hulme.Marshall, D. R., 242 Stockport Road, Marple.Moss, D. E., 18 Curzon Road, Offerton, Stockport.Nelson, J. R., 4 Buxton Road, Furness Vale.O'Brien, F., 18 Granby Road, Stockport.Richardson, P. K., 1 Barnfield Road, Stockport.Stevenson, G. O., 11 St. Anne's Square, Heald Green.Seymour, G. C., 1 Whitegates Road, Cheadle.Smith, A. N., 48 Queen's Road, Hazel Grove.Twigg, B., 27 Belgrave Crescent, Stockport.Watson, A., Valley Crest, Bradda Mount, Broadway, Bramhall.Walters, B. D., 21 Filey Road, Offerton, Stockport.Whitaker, J. R., 2 Lisburne Lane, Stockport.Wood, R. D., 117 St. Lesmo Road, Stockport. (27)

C. R. GARDNER.

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AGENT BY APPOINTMENT

STRIPED TIE

STRIPED BLAZERwith Badge

COAT OF ARMSon Oak Shield

A. McINTYREFormerly LEWIS & McINTYRE

HOSIER & SHIRT MAKER

Telephone - BLAckfriars 9943.

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OLD STOPFORDIANS' SUCCESSES.G. ATHERTON has taken B.A.(Com.), Manchester.K. M. LEIGH and G. H. DENCER have passed Part I, Honours School ofEngineering.M. BATLEY has passed B.A.(Com.) and also been elected an Associate ofthe Textile Institute (by examination).C. E. PICKFORD, M.A. (Hons. French), has been awarded an AdvancedGraduate Research Scholarship in Arts at Manchester University and expectsto spend the next two years at the University of Paris.Rev. CYRIL H. LEE has been appointed Vicar of Milnthorpe, Westmorland.J. C. HAMLET has been awarded a Graduate Research Scholarship and theSwan Brewery Prize for outstanding merit in Organic Chemistry at Man-chester University.

OLD STOPFORDIANS' A.F.C.Probably the most active section of the Old Stopfordians' Association, theFootball Club, is now in its twenty-first season.The Club runs two teams in the Lancashire and Cheshire Amateur League,and the running of a third team is under consideration, the chief difficultyin this respect being the lack of a suitable ground for an additional team.The Club is, of course, entirely dependent upon Old Boys of the School forits players, and we would urge all Old Boys interested in football to join us.Our ground is at Bean Leach Road, Hazel Grove, and we extend an invitationto Old Boys and parents to come and give us their support and encouragementat our home matches.

I. M. DUNCAN, Hon. Secretary.

OLD STOPFORDIANS' NOTICES.BIRTHS.

YOUDE.—On May 16, 1948, to Mr. and Mrs. Frank Milner Youde (neeMiller), a Son (Keith Milner).—33 Avondale Road, Edgeley, Stockport.BERTENSHAW.—On June 22, 1948, at The Crofts Nursing Home, CheadleHulme, to Dorothy (nee Moore) and Cyril Joseph Bertenshaw, a Daughter.Both well.SINKS.—On July 10, 1948, to Jean, wife of Geoffrey Bailey Binks, a Daughter(Susan Patricia).—75 Dunbar Crescent, Southport.RUSHWORTH.—On July 15, 1948, at St. Mary's Hospital, Manchester,to Margaret (nee Eastham), wife of Dr. C. D. Rushworth, a Son (John Daven-port).CHADWICK.—On July 15, 1948, at Wyndale Nursing Home, Bramhall,to Yvonne (nee Bayman), wife of Donald Tatton, a Son (Michael Barry) ja brother for Anthony.WILLIAMS.—On August 4, 1948, at Wyndale Nursing Home, Bramhall,to Doris (nee Hutchinson) and Dennis, a Son (Andrew Grafton).IMRIE.—On August 7, 1948, at Penang, Malaya, to Kathleen Mary (neeCowin), wife of Kenneth Cobban Imrie, M.Sc., a second Daughter (AlisonWendy).LONSDALE.—On September 29, 1948, to Elizabeth (nee Cunliffe), wife ofJames Farrer Lonsdale, D.S.O., of Waterbutts Cottage Manor House,By fleet,Surrey, a second Son (Roger James Farrer).

MARRIAGE.NELSON—BOX.—On October 2, 1948, at Heaton Moor Methodist Chapel,Kenneth Nelson to Kathleen Box, M.A.; both of Heaton Moor.

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DEATHS.HOLMES.—On August 17, 1948, after a long illness, borne with fortitude,at Colchester, Ronald, only son of Joseph D. and Lillian Holmes, aged 26 years.HULME.—On August 18, 1948, at Rhos-on-Sea, A. Hulme, aged 80.FALLOWS.—On October 12, 1948, at Rathlea, Compstall Road, Romiley,John Cocks Fallows, the dearly loved husband of Gertrude Fallows and fatherof Jack Fallows, and Hon. Treasurer of the Lancashire County Cricket Club.

CALENDAR.Monday, Dec. 13—Carol Service by the School at St. George's Church,

commencing at 7 p.m.Tuesday, Dec. 14—Five Hundredth Meeting of the Debating and Literary

Society. Joint Debate with Old Stopfordians.Friday, Dec. 17—Michaelmas Term ends.Saturday, Dec. 18 to January 10—Christmas Vacation.

School Dance; 7—11-45.1949

Tuesday, Jan. 11—Spring Term, till April 5.Friday, Jan. 14—Old Stopfordians' Grand Dance at the Town Hall;

Reception at 8 ; Dance 8-30 p.m.—2 a.m.Wednesday, Mar. 2—Ash Wednesday.Wednesday, Mar. 16—Old Stopfordians' Annual Dinner.Thursday, Mar. 17—Founders' Day.Tuesday, April 5—End of Spring Term.Wednesday, April 6—Easter Holidays, till April 25 inclusive.

STOP PRESS. Swimming: Bolton won decisively by 44J to 21J points.In Juniors we were more successful than opponents.

ASHTOMSPORTS OUTFITTER

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the Stockfort Express Ltd.St. Peter's SaimreStockport